(w)riteofpassion
by PearlyFox
Summary: They meet online, and when they do in real life, it seems like they're moving fast-paced into the direction of paradise. What if commitment issues and misunderstandings keep messing things up? Is Bella ready to open her heart for her Edward?
1. My Fair Warrior

**This is one I've been thinking about for a while now. Finally decided to put it up! Hope you'll enjoy this journey. It's kind of a more alternative side of E&B**

**Big thanks to the lovely MissLiss15 for helping me out :D **  
**Honestly, pause right now and go check out her work, it's amazing!**

**-WOP- **

**Chapter One**

I sighed as I scrolled through my Facebook feed, it was filled to the brim with news of engagements, happy new families and adoration of puppies and kittens. My eyes drifted to the alarm clock on the nightstand beside me, taking in the time.

1:25 AM

I really needed to get some sleep if I wanted to make some sort of impression at work tomorrow.

Tomorrow was my 'big day' as some of my friends called it. It was the day I would put my foot down and finally get promoted, or I would get the hell out of there and start somewhere new, where they would appreciate my talent.

My job at the publishing firm entailed mostly checking my boss' e-mail and making sure everyone had their latte's by ten-thirty. Secretary, it said on my paycheck. But it felt more like I was a busboy.

My dream has always been to become an editor, to guide new writers along the tiring and nerve wracking path of getting their stories out and into the public eye. I didn't have the courage to put my own work out there, but that didn't mean I couldn't help others to succeed.

My writing was more of the therapeutic kind, something I kept it just for myself.

I had spent most of my night going over and preparing an entire rough draft to present to my boss tomorrow. A friend of mine had been wanting to get published at our firm and had asked me to try and win over Miss Victoria with my craftsmanship.

Writing and editing was one of my escapes from reality. I was plagued with insomnia most nights so my other escape was my favourite online game and the player, WrithingForWords.

A soft ding altered me once I logged in that I had a new message. "You're back!" It read. A smile crept up my face and I took my bottom lip between my teeth.

It was seeming lately that the love for my game was not really entirely based upon the fights and quests any longer. WrithingForWords had something to do with it as well, now. How was it possible to catch feelings for someone you've never even me?

"Hi my Enchantress, how are you today?"

My grin widened as I typed my reply. "I'm better now that I'm here with you."

"Can't sleep?" He replied.

I sighed to myself. "Yeah, my mind just won't shut off."

"Damn, I'm just about to sign off though"

My smile disappeared, but suddenly I had an idea. It was something I'd never done before online. I took a deep breath before typing. "Text me, please?"

My heart pounded in my chest, and I started to doubt myself as I waited for his reply. For all I knew, he could be forty-eight and living with his mother. We'd only been conversing very casually about the game and life in general. This was a new step for us.

"I'd like that." His reply finally came through.

We exchanged numbers and I signed off the computer.

I walked over to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of Chardonnay when my phone buzzed.

"I promise I'm not a sociopath, but can we maybe exchange pictures? I've been dying to know what you look like for a few weeks now"

I laughed and leaned against the counter as I typed my reply. "I'm six feet nine, have the body of a supermodel and have enormous boobs. What about you?"

My phone buzzed twice, and when I opened it I saw he had sent a picture. I was afraid to open it. The occasional dickpic had slid into my DM's on Instagram before and I couldn't click the block button fast enough when that happened.

I gulped down some wine and downloaded his image. I almost choked right then and there. He was an absolute hunk!

Black, messy hair framed his face along with a pair of black aviator style glasses. Behind those glasses were the most smoldering, green eyes I'd ever seen. Stubble covered his cheeks and jawline so sharp it could cut glass. I guess he'd sent me a model's picture to go along with my joke.

Gee, you really like being mysterious don't you? -that's me by the way.

I took a deep breath and fiddled through my selfie gallery and smiled cheekily as I found the one I took last weekend at my sister's bridal shower. My dark hair was blow dried by my best friend Rosalie. It hung loosely against my chest. I wore a top that laced-up and created cleavage while my smile was framed by one of my favourite nude lipsticks.

I sent it to him, writing 'here goes nothing', under it.

It took him two full minutes to reply. "Why Enchantress, if only I could kiss that dimple in your cheek…"

I felt myself blush before thinking to myself. 'Please, Bella, you don't even know his name.' I hadn't had any action in the bedroom since that god-awful date two months ago, and such simple words turned me on.

"WFW, what's your name?"

"Why aren't we curious?"

"I do need to know what name I have to call out when I come, right?"

Don't be so bold! He's going to think you're a total floozy!

I held my breath as the three dots indicating that he was typing

"Fuck. You'll scream Edward when I'm done with you."

Okay, I need more wine and probably a new vibrator.

So his name was Edward. It was a good name, a handsome name for my warrior from the internet. I smiled at his picture, finishing my glass of wine and walked over to my bedroom.

"So, while we're in the middle of name-calling here, mine's Isabella."

"A lot hotter than Enchantress102 if you ask me, Isabella."

Hmm, I liked where this was going. Maybe a nice orgasm will bring my mind some peace and let me get at least a few hours of sleep before work tomorrow.

"I'm thinking about those lips of yours, how I'd like them to kiss so much more than my cheeks…" I trailed off.

"Shit, you just got me so hard, no lies. I'd love to see you right now."

I groaned, thinking about his hard cock. "I'd feel even better, God, I'm so wet."

"Touch yourself for me, sweetheart. Pretend it's my fingers playing with your pussy." He replied. This guy had me going crazy. My panties felt damp and a throbbing sensation echoed from them.

"I already am." I laid down on my bed, reaching for the top of my leggings, sliding them down and off. My hand travelled under the waistband of my panties, I was aching for release, so much that I actually moaned out loud at my touch.

Blaming it on the alcohol, I grabbed my camera and snapped a picture of my hand sliding into my panties, making sure I didn't show too much else on the picture.

Send.

"Holy fuck. That's so hot"

My fingers travelled south, rubbing my clit in a circular motion, my fingers slick with my arousal. I definitely wasn't going to last long.

"Come for me baby, make it good. Fuck, I wish I could see you."

"I'm so close just thinking about you and your dirty mouth. God, it feels so good."

"You just made me burst like a pre-teen at a Playboy shoot, so hard and fast."

My release was building up and I immediately regretted not having bought that new vibrator online earlier. Fingers were good for a quicky, but it just felt so much more intense with something more. Edward was right though, I felt like a teenager again. With my hand in my pants and the other palming my breast through my shirt.

His face drifted around in my fantasy as I imagined him gripping my wrists and pinning me down on the bed while I was laid under him as his cock slid into me. My breath caught in my throat as I came as hard as I imagined him doing at the Playboy shoot, my heart beating wildly.

"Thanks for the help, that was exactly what I needed."

"You're welcome my Enchantress, now sleep tight."

"You too."

Wow. Bells, what are you doing? I was twenty-five and feeling like I was fifteen again. I closed my eyes, drifting off into a blissful sleep, feeling a bit dirty but loving it.

**Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!**  
**Please leave a review to let me know what you think!**

**xo**


	2. Alice Knows Best

**A/N  
Stephenie owns them all. I just like to play with the characters.  
I hope you'll enjoy the next chapters! we're slowly but surely getting to know our characters.**

**Also, do you want an EPOV in the future? Let me know! **

**Thanks to AWallace10 for the inspiration for the ending of the next chapter ;)  
**

* * *

**Chapter Two.**

I wanted to kill myself when the alarm on my phone started blaring. In my attempts to grab my phone off of the nightstand, it fell from my gasp under my bed.

_Damnit_

Stretching out my upper body, I reached for the device of hell and turned off the annoying duck sound.

I yawned.

_Six-thirty_.  
It felt like I'd only just fallen asleep but a slight smile crept onto my face as I remembered why.

Last night I'd been so spontaneous I almost didn't recognize myself. Flashing my pussy to an almost total stranger left me feeling exhillerated. It's been a while since I was so blunt to a guy.

To my surprise, I had a text from the reason of my sleep-deprivation:

**Warrior:  
Good morning, Enchantress. Kick-ass today at work, I'll be thinking off you.**

I couldn't believe he texted me good morning. Most guys online just enjoy the one-night fidgeting under the sheets and forget about you after. Me and Edward had started chatting quite a few weeks ago, mostly very casual about day to day life. Yesterday was the first time we went that far, though. And I kind of loved it. What baffled me more than him remembering me was the time he sent me the text: at five in the morning.

**Did you even sleep though? Morning by the way, big day ahead**

**Warrior:  
I did, from two to four forty-five ;-) You were totally worth the drowsiness today. Tell me more, Isabella.**

I stopped feeling bad about my tired state, poor thing. I could imagine him looking so cute with sleepy eyes and that sexy stubble on his face.

**Taking a chance at work today.. It'll make or break my time at the firm I work at. Trying to convince my boss to give me a promotion. Why on earth are you up so early?**

I got up and walked over to my closet.  
_What do people wear on days like today? _

I wanted to look fierce today, yet also didn't want Victoria to think I went behind her back with all of this. All the editing I did on James' book, I did on lunch breaks and after work and I never told her anything about it. But since I had my yearly review today, I would be having a meeting with her anyway. I figured I could slowly slip the rough draft under her eyes then.

My hands grabbed a red blazer, black silk camisole and some black skinny jeans, I threw them on and walked over to the bathroom to do my make-up.

**Warrior :  
Early gym session, just got to work now. Good luck, Enchantress. Use your charm, I bet that'll work (; **

So he must be one of those avid gym people. Waking up before the crack of dawn to get the blood pumping. My mind wandered off, to Edward sweaty and sexy in the gym and stepping in some steamy shower afterwards  
_Gee sister, you need to get laid._

I did my make-up as usual. A full face, getting rid of the freckles on my nose and cheekbones completed by defining my dark brows and painting some eyeliner onto my tired, heavy eyelids. It made me instantly fresh and bright-eyed. Finishing off with some red lipstick, matching to my blazer, I combed my chest-length dark hair. Something came over me again and I decided to send my friend a selfie.

Looking in the front camera off my phone, I arranged my shirt so the cleavage wasn't too much or too little and gave him a cheeky, little smile.

**Thank you, Warrior x**

The watch in the kitchen told me it was time to leave for the office. I took my breakfast to-go: a banana and stuffed a yoghurt and bottle of water in my purse.  
I grabbed my keys, slipped on some Nike's and walked over to the underground garage of my apartment building.

In the car I called my friend Rosalie, something I did often to kill time commuting to and from work. Since today was Friday, the topic of our conversation was where we were going tonight after work.

"I don't know, maybe we could go dancing? You promised you'd take me, remember?" Her sultry voice sounded through the speakers of my car.

I sighed in remembering my promise to her last month.

"Oh what the hell, I'm in." I giggled to her.

A 'yihaa' sounded from her side of the connection. Rose was born and raised in New Orleans, but moved over to Los Angeles after a brutal breakup back home. Ever since I met her we'd been inseparable.

"You won't regret it, babe! Meet me at my place after seven? I have pre-party booze." I smiled at her enthusiasm.  
"Now, I have to go my client's here." Rosalie had opened her own hair-styling business right when I started working for Victoria.

We said our goodbyes and I continued my drive to work. Once I was parked, I checked to see if I had everything for my meeting with the boss. I checked my phone, which had a message ready for me.

**Warrior:  
You look stunning *wow*. Your boss is a lucky man… I'd return the favour but I'm just having the worst time coming up with a good idea for this dude's website. Design-block *sad***

So he's in web design, that's a really cool job. Could explain why he needs to blow off some steam in the gym, I thought.

I had about fifteen minutes until I needed to head upstairs, so I decided to reply him.

**Cool job, for a nerd (; I bet you'll figure it out. Guessing you have enough imagination to come up with something nifty.**

His answer came almost immediately.

**Warrior:  
Enough imagination. But they all have something to do with you right now, to be honest. I know I'm being very forward, but I really enjoy talking to you.**

A sigh escaped my mouth. It's been a while since I had a guy this nice texting me. My last real relationship is about two years ago and I honestly grew tired from being alone all the time. Although I really enjoyed being single, I kind of feel semi-attached to my ex. Over the time we'd broken up, we have gotten together once in a while since we were wrong in all the ways except in the bedroom. Jake knew what I liked and if the need for release was too high, we kind of always found each other. But hopefully I won't need his services anytime soon. Not when this little fling kept going on.

**Likewise Sir, really like that too. Plus, you're extremely cute.**

**Warrior:  
You're a beauty. Need to go now, talk later? x**

I stared at his little 'x' longer than I should have.  
_You're a grown woman, get over your little crush_

**Thank you *blush*  
Good luck xo**

Tucking my phone away, I locked the car and walked over to the elevator.

Having arrived on the fourth floor of the building, the sign of Greens Publishing greeted me. I greeted Jessica from the front desk and made my way to my desk outside of Victoria Green's office. She wasn't in yet.

I booted up my computer and went over her schedule for the day.

By ten sharp, Victoria emerged from the elevator, a stack of files in her hands.

"Morning, Isabella!" She greeted me, cheerful.  
Good, she seemed to be in a great mood.

I didn't have a single reason to hate my boss though. Victoria Greens was insanely good to her employees and kind of had become a friend of mine. Or as close of a friend your boss can be.

"Good morning, need any help with that?" I nodded to the paperwork she was holding.

"Actually, yes, please." I took the documents from her and followed her into her glass office. Victoria was keen on her open door policy and never missed an opportunity to help out in any way.

She looked sharp today, a cream pantsuit with navy pinstripes hugged her body in all the right places and her high heeled shoes gave her a statuesque appearance. Victoria always said to me that being a woman in the publishing world came with perks. Men never think you're a bigshot if you're born with boobs and a nice face, so she often played out her looks in her advantage. In her career, she'd always worked hard and kept herself ahead of the masses. Long before the entire erotic chick lit was a big business, we had already signed tons of talented writers, making Greens Publishing an outstanding publishing house that she ran on intellect and good old gut feelings.

"Thanks for the hand, Bella." She put down her bag on the white desk and crossed her arms.

"You're in for a treat, sweetheart," she wiggled her brows at me and nodded at the book proposal I was holding. "If you're up to help me proof read this new book?" She asked me kindly.

I often crossed the boundaries of my secretary job to help her get through the great amounts of proposals Victoria got. It's one of the reasons I still work as her secretary, because all the mind-numbing calendar checks and phone calls just weren't up my alley. Also a big reason why I wanted to show her the work I had done on James' book.

"Of course, Victoria there is also something I wanted to discuss with you if you don't mind." I began.

"Sure, we can talk about it when you come in later for your review? I really need to get cracking now, Tyler from editing is coming in in about fifteen minutes and I still need to go over his last results."

I agreed and went over to my desk, preparing every appointment she had later. My talk with her was at three this afternoon, leaving me with other tasks for the rest of the day.

My ears were ringing from all the phone calls I had to take since Victoria was in meetings most of the morning when I noticed it was time for my lunch break.

"Hungry Bella?" It was Alice from PR.

"Hey girl, long time no see!" Alice just got back from meeting her family all the way in New York. She was a good colleague and friend of mine and we had agreed to go lunch today.

"I know, so good to be back honestly. With all that drama going on back home I needed a break from vacation," she laughed.

We walked over to the cafeteria together.

"You know, it's been so long since I ate here. I almost forgot how good a grilled cheese they make down here." Alice sniffed around the space, closing her eyes.

The cafeteria was shared with the two other companies that housed in the building and we always got weak in the knees from Franco's grilled cheese sandwiches.

"What's new in your life? You look tired, that a good sign?" She wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive way. I just had to laugh at her. "Don't tell me Jake came over again?" She grumped.

"No, nothing like that. Haven't seen him in a while now, I think he's dating someone new." I told her.

"So, no guy?" She said dramatically.  
"I wouldn't say no guy. But I also don't really know what this is." I shrugged.

The way she looked at me instructed me to keep going. Alice was a small person, yet so charismatic she could make you do almost anything. It has served her well in the business world, where men and women alike towered over her five feet form.

I told her about last night, not leaving out the details because I knew she'd pull them out of me anyway.

"You little vixen!" She almost shouted for the entire table sitting with us.

"Yeah, well. You wouldn't know what it's like to be alone for so long. Not with your happy relationship," I rolled my eyes at her. She and Jasper had been together for almost ten years, and she always made it very clear that there is no such thing as a sex live that's in a rut. She told me all about their little experimental naughty nights and more than once took me shopping in skimpy lingerie stores.

"I don't, but I do know that good chemistry is the foundation for a long, healthy relationship." She took a bite out of her sandwich.

"I feel like we do have chemistry. Like I said, he has been the sole reason for me to go on the game for the last couple of weeks."

"So, are you going to meet him then?" She asked me.

I didn't quite know how to answer that. Part of me wanted to go out with Edward, but I also got scared that when it got to real, I'd chicken out of that things would fall apart – as they had with Jake. Alice could see my hesitation and jumped in on it with a marvellous idea.

"Why don't you try FaceTime first? You know, talk and see what else you can enjoy about the man," she winked.

My mind wandered off to a hypothetical video chat with the dark and handsome warrior. I bet his voice was as sexy as his face. Speaking of the devil, my phone vibrated, showing me the message he'd send me.

**Warrior:  
I'm on my break now. Heading out for a quick bite before I yell at someone here, lol. Wish I could talk to you, do you want to maybe call later? I'd like to hear your voice.**

I immediately replied.

**How about talking face-to-face.. Want to skype later?**

* * *

**Hmm, I wonder how that'll go..**

**Show your love, drop a review :D**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Promising Reward

**Here's the third chapter! I hope you enjoy it, leave some love in the reviews if you do!  
I needed to get some more story line done before our B&E met up ; ) **

**Chapter Three.**

"I'm guessing that's your guy right there?" Alice arched a sculped, dark brow and I just laughed.

"I'll tell you all about my findings," Knowing she lived her wild, single life vicariously through my little escapades. I'd left her in the dark about this one up until now but she made me promise her to spill the tea. So I would, pinky swear. -Right, I'm in high school again.

The afternoon went on as usual. I got the colleagues around me their coffees and glanced through the rough draft like Victoria asked. I know I said my job had about the same to-do list as a busboy with a little secretary work in between, but I shouldn't dramatize.

I had no college degree, but still Victoria say at least something in me seeing as she got multiple spontaneous applications a week and gave me this job almost immediately.

At about two forty-five, Victoria dropped out of her office, smiling at me.

"Go ahead and sit down, I'll be right there. Have to hit the ladies' room quickly first."

I did as she asked, after I picked up the file that had been burning a hole in my bag all day and sat down in the transparent chair opposite of hers, loving the softness of the sheepskin throw the had laying inside it.

She got back and took off her jacket, draping it over the back of her desk chair.

"Izzy, I have to be honest with you," she started, raking her right hand through her auburn curls and smiled at me.

_Fuck, I'm screwed. _

My mortified expression seemed to humour her, her throaty laugh filling the glass box we sat in.

"Honey, I'm messing with you. I have to say though, I'm glad you grew so much the last year. As an employee in general, and also as my gal in shining armour." A smile crept onto my face and I relaxed a bit.

"Victoria, it's been such a pleasant year. I'm glad you let me be more than your phone and coffee puppet," I joked.

I decided there was no such time as the present to bring up my little side project.

"You wanted to talk to me as well? Because, clearly, I don't really have a lot I can say to you. As far as your work ethic goes, you're a hard worker and you're not scared of me which makes after work drinking so much more fun," she chuckled.

I nodded.

"There is something I've been wanting to ask you, yes. For a while now, I feel like my skills have skyrocketed thanks to all the extra tasks you've given me. Since I never could afford college back in the day, I'm extremely grateful that you let me learn on the job," I started. Victoria sipped a glass of sparkling water, her eyes attentive and expression open.

"Sure, I believe everyone should be able to expand their knowledge and develop as whatever it may be you want."

"Well, I have prepared a book proposal for you. I've done all the work by myself after hours for an acquaintance of mine," I slid the binder onto her desk, Victoria's eyes widened as she looked from the book to me and back.

"Really?" She looked at me.

"I was wondering if you could look it over give me some pointers?" I asked carefully, not being able to read her.

"Oh my God, you know I love your mind! It's like a creative diamond, unbreakable and unique. That's why I need you on my team. Why I let you in on the process with me, you know that!" she exclaimed.

To be honest, I though she just gave me the books to proof-read because she didn't have the time.

"Not because you can't jam them in your tight schedule?" I wondered.

"Sweetheart, please." She crossed her arms and looked at me funny as she continued. "You want to expand on the duties and ditch the phone calls, am I right?" She asked me.

_Now I get why Laurent from designing is afraid of her. Was she happy or furious with me?_

"I guess I do, I'd love to become an editor for you." I admitted, crossing my ankles under the desk, nervously fidgeting with the bracelet on my wrist.

"You're in for a ride kid," She rose from her chair and reached out for me. I looked at her quizzically.

"Just grab my damn hand and shake it, apprentice."

Victoria admitted that she could see the secretary position didn't call out to my heart, ever since she gave me the first draft of Jane Volturi's newest book. She had enjoyed reading it with my notes and Jane herself told my boss she would like me to be the one perfecting her erratic mind. She felt good about me, even if I was just a rookie.

She agreed to let me transition into editing, on condition it would be under her wing. The position of secretary to the CEO would become available again and I would get a new desk in the editing department.

I couldn't be happier.

**Guess who just got promoted.**

I sent the text with a giddy feeling, not caring if I was pushing my luck with this guy by bothering him with my banalities.

**Warrior:  
Well, that should be rewarded, right? **

I bit my lip, I swear this guy could make anything dripping with innuendo.

**I'm going out with some friends tonight, does that count?**

**Warrior:  
I'm a little sad I won't be a part of that, honestly. Skype-date before you go? *pretty please***

Damn you Rose, for pre-drinking when I know I was going to be drunk tonight anyway. I got off work at a quarter to five tonight, I'd be home close to six and needed to get ready by seven. Luckily, Rose's was just a ten minute walk.

**I might be able to squeeze you in between coming home and getting ready**?

**Warrior:  
I love everything about what you just said. It's a date?**

My stomach fluttered, this guy had put some kind of spell on me. A date? Was he really in for that or just some good times with a stranger online?

**Yes, please. **

**Warrior:  
My pleasure, Enchantress. Tell me when you're up to it. Should be home around five-thirty. Can't wait to see you x**

I smiled at his last message and continued what was left for me to do today.

Victoria grabbed her stuff around four-fifteen since she had somewhere to be after work.

"I'm so glad we had our talk, Izzy. Have fun, have a good weekend and I'll see you on your new spot on Monday," she winked and started fiddling with her phone.

With the boss gone, I figured I may as well just leave as well. On my way to the elevator down, I ran into Alice.

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" I asked her, pulling my bag over my shoulder.

"I do now, tell me. Where are we going?"

I told Alice to be ready at eight and I planned on texting her Rose's address to meet up later. She agreed with the enthusiasm of a puppy who got promised to play outside and I left for my car.

The car ride home made me feel a little anxious. I was about to see Edward for the very first time. And even though I didn't have a lot of time doing that, I planned on making a good impression on him.

_You are not a sex-crazed kitten. You just need to relax and be normal._

I barely entered my apartment door when I fished my phone out of my purse and was staggered to see that Edward had been messaging me already. Since I'd left the office early, I was home by five, which gave me a little wiggle room as he told me he would probably be home in half an hour

**Warrior:  
Just left my desk, couldn't deal with work anymore. I can't wait to talk to you. By the way, do you have any beer? It would feel more like a date if we could have a drink together? **

I giggled out loud, surprised he'd been looking forward to our little Skype meet-up as much I was.

**Just got home, let me go hop in the shower and I'll be online in a minute. I don't have beer but I do have wine, which makes me whine less ( ; **

When I walked passed my kitchen, I pulled out a wine glass out of the cupboard over the hob and pulled out bottle of Grenache I had laying in the fridge.

**Warrior :  
Don't talk to me about getting in the shower. It gets me distracted. I might break speed limits and/or crash.**

_Damn it. _I bit my lip, my mind getting cloudy of thoughts about Edward in the shower with me. Again, having visions of that man in a shower for the second time that day. I'm such a perv.

**Don't die, please.**

My phone was in desperate need of some charging, so I plugged it in and put it on my nightstand when I went to kick off my sneakers.

I texted Rose I'd be could be a tad late as I ran late. Just a little lie.

In the shower, I made sure my hair didn't get wet since I had no desire to restyle it. It would just take me too much time to do so. I shaved and exfoliated, leaving a tingling sensation on my skin. My body was on a wire, sensitive to my thoughts about the warrior I was to meet in a few moments. If he were here to touch me right now, I'd be lost in seconds.

When I re-applied my makeup, I made sure to make my eyes extra smoky. Rose once told me it made my hazel eyes look like a pool of melting chocolate and I really could use all the extra help I could get.

As I stood in my closet, wrapped in a towel, my phone buzzed again. I glanced over at my alarm clock, my shower and pamper session took me twenty minutes.

**Warrior:  
Whenever you're ready, milady. Here's my mail address so you can add me on skype: **

I smiled, but my thoughts got dirty. What if I only wore this towel? But then again, what if he wasn't who he had shown me and lived in some kind of basement, feeding on pathetic women?

My hands reached in my lingerie drawer, pulling out a black lace bodysuit I paired with a pair of high-waisted denim and an off the shoulder black knitted sweater.

I checked my lipstick one more time and opened my laptop. While the thing booted up, I got my glass of wine and got comfy on my bed.

My heart was racing as I typed in his info into Skype. Not even a minute later, the familiar beeping of an incoming call alerted me he'd approved my request. I took a gulp of wine and pressed answer.

That was it for this chapter, I really hope you guys liked it :D  
I already started the next chapter and think you all will like the outcome of their little rendez-vous.

Pearl x


	4. Fogging up the screen

_I obviously don't own Twilight, that's Stephenie's thing._

**Hello kittens!  
Here's the Skype-date I promised you :)  
Please, leave a review with any remarks or suggestions and let me know if you liked it!**

**This is a sexual chapter, so prepare yourselves**

* * *

**Chapter Four.**

My heart -in true high school fashion, seemed to skip a beat when I saw him on my screen. Now I knew what my nana used to talk about when she graced us with the story of how she met my grandfather. She told me that her heart seemed to beat out of her chest and she grew hot all over. -yes nana used to be a sex-crazed kitten all those years ago as well.

He looked better than he did on his photos as well, if that was even possible.

His hair looked like he'd just lost a battle with it, dishevelled and made just to knot my fingers into it. But when I heard his voice, I'm sure my vagina was on fire.

"Hey Isabella," he said. My name on his tongue was the most erotic thing I'd ever heard. I suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"Hello stranger," I meekly responded and bit my lip, getting a crooked smile from him in return.

"Congrats on the promotion, want to tell me what your field of expertise is?" He asked. It seemed as if he was genuinely interested.  
"Oh, well I guess I'm going to be an editor when I grow up," I joked.  
"Cheers to that, Enchantress." I felt myself blushing as he put the bottle of beer to his lips and took a sip. I needed more wine, I thought.

"You were on my mind all day, I just couldn't help myself." He admitted and I couldn't bear to look him in the eyes.

When I did have the guts to do that, I noticed his green eyes could probably make me do anything he pleased. I could get lost in them, in him entirely.

_He's a stranger, Isabella! Don't be this way, you lovestruck puddle of goo._

I told him about my day and he told me about his nerve-wrecking, bitchy client that wanted all sorts of weird things on her website and couldn't make her mind up. Edward had already made her three different designs which she kindly threw in the virtual trash.

"I have to tell you a secret though," he started and lifted a finger to his gorgeous full mouth. The alarm bells should've been blaring inside my head, but I even if he told me he was a woman last year I wouldn't even care.

"Yes?" My voice was more silent than I wanted it to be.

_You need more wine, woman!_ The sex-kitten exclaimed and I took a sip to take my edge off.

"This isn't my natural hair colour," a wonderfully manly laugh came through my laptop's speakers.

"What? No way, it suits you so well," escaped my mouth.

"Well sweetheart, the curtain does not match the drapes though." He chuckled and I got to thinking about the region of his drapes, making me regret my promise to myself to keep this light and casual.

_Don't mess it up now, Isabella!_

"Enlighten me then," I purred and cringed at the way that just came out of my mouth.

"I'm actually sort of a weird crossover between a brown and red hair," he put his hands up as if to defend himself and went on: "I lost a bet to my brother, luckily this should wash out."

I laughed.

"Oh, poor thing. Well, at least I know you have a brother." I smiled. We honestly didn't know that much about each other. His natural hair colour must look just as good, if not better. Reddish hair and green eyes, he's probably one of the best looking ginger men on this planet, then.

"Do you have any siblings?" He asked me, cocking his head to the side.

"I guess I have a sister. A step-sister, that is." I told him.

"From the way you're saying that, I don't think you get along very well?" He sipped his beer again. I was just mesmerized by his lips. They looked so soft, he surely was a great kisser.

"We're not very close. My parents split up when I was very little, my dad ran off and mom married Phil and had another baby. She's actually getting married in a couple of months."

He nodded.

"My family's pretty tight-knit. My parents are still together as well. They live out in Chicago."

Good family, handsome, decent job, gaming for fun and excellent manners. He's a total catch.

"Chicago? Wow, must be nice," I fiddled with the hem of my sweater, not really knowing what to do with my hands.

"It is, someday I'd like to go back. But for now LA suits me just fine,"

My eyes widened.

_Wait what? This creature lived in the same city as I did?" _

"Hold on, Los Angeles? For real?" I asked him, smiling.

He seemed as surprised as me.

"Yeah, I live near Rosedale Cemetery, you don't mean you live here as well do you?" His smile reached his eyes, making my stomach flutter again.

"Huntington Park," I looked at his reaction.

"You're telling me you live less than half an hour away from me? Isabella, you're killing me I want to see you so bad," He trailed off and took off his glasses to rub his face.

_Fuck casual_

"See me? I'd like to do a lot more than just see you, Warrior," I was baffled by the way this fellow got me feeling so confident.

"I was trying to be a gentleman here, Isabella." He chuckled.

"Do gentlemen sext with total strangers they met on a game?" I asked him, crossing my arms and making sure he could see my cleavage.

"I'm sure they don't but something about you makes me lose total control," his friendly, expression turned intense like his eyes would burn through my screen any minute.

My glass of wine called out to me and seeing as lunch was hours ago I already started to get a little tingly.

"Just looking at you makes me wet, you know." I almost whispered, getting a groan from him in return.

"Your picture from this morning has been all I could think off today. Web design and hard-ons don't go together very well,"

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "What can I do to make you feel better?" I played with my hair.

"A kiss wouldn't hurt," he slyly said.

Maybe I should just ditch Rose and Alice and get in my car. Drive over to him and get this frustration over and done with. I needed to get him out of my system, and that probably required a lot of skin-to-skin.

"I wish I was there to kiss you and feel your body against mine," I started.

"Last night, were you playing with me or were you touching yourself?" He looked straight into my eyes. I liked where this was going.

"I wish I _was_ playing with you." My hands seemed to have a mind off their own as they slid across the button of my jeans, heat radiating from my very core.

"Baby, you're killing me," he said and shifted on his chair. "I want to watch you, I need to," he sighed.

_Thank god for inner sex-kittens_. I started unbuttoning my pants and got up, maneuvered my laptop around so he could see and slid them slowly off my legs, revealing the lace bottom half of my body suit.

I heard him make the most erotic noise when my butt was on display. I caressed my body, took off my sweater as well and let him see me.

"You look so beautiful right now, that lingerie is so fucking sexy," I smiled at his remark but knew he couldn't see my face as the camera only captured as much.  
His eyes roamed my body, and I felt desire taking over my rational thinking.

"I see you like ink as well, even better," he said as he mentioned the artwork on my leg that I just had finished two months ago. A red and black dragon swirled around my leg surrounded by cherry flowers. I was so proud of it, and the fact that he said 'as well' made me long to see him bare even more.

"I've shown you mine, show me yours," I seductively instructed him as I went to get comfortable on the bed again.

Not saying a word, he moved away with the camera and I couldn't see anything but his black T-shirt until he put his laptop somewhere in what looked like his bedroom.

I could see him standing there as if he stood right in front of me, veined forearms with beautiful tattoos all over them and a big watch on his right wrist. He stepped straight out of fantasies. His fingers reached for the cotton tee he was wearing and pulled the fabric over his head.

His body was lean, strong, yet not overly muscled. I could feel my nipples responding to the wonderfully handsome man that was getting undressed in another part of town.

_For me_

"Like what you see, Enchantress?" He said a little cocky. I guess my expression said it all.  
"You seem to like what you see as well," My gaze found the bulge in his sweatpants, backing me up.

"Fuck yeah," he exclaimed and I could feel myself getting even more aroused by his resolute statement.

I needed to see him, I craved seeing him. No man has even been able to get me so worked up without being at least in the same room as me. I couldn't tell what it was about Edward that drove me nuts, but I knew it was dangerous for my head to get so fogged up. It made me say stuff like _take it off._

Wait, did I say that out loud?

He grinned at me and played with the drawstring of his burgundy sweatpants, touching himself through it.

"That's all because of you, by the way. You should be a good girl and come over to help me get rid of it," he breathed.

_Oh baby, I'm no good girl tonight._

Before I knew it, he lay naked on his bed. All of him on display as I almost ripped the buttons from the clasp of my body suit so I was free of all the fabric.

"Show me how you like it, Edward." I instructed him.

His hands flew over his body, and I imagined his hands were mine, teasing my nipples and sliding down over my belly until I brushed my clit with my fingers. I knew I wouldn't last long as he got me high with words earlier.

I watched him, his hand gripping the base of his very impressive length. He was so hard it ached to touch him. A moan escaped his mouth, making me wonder if I could make him enjoy my stroking him as much as his own.

"I wish you would wrap your hand around my cock, baby. To touch me until I want nothing more then to be inside of you," he groaned.

I made him watch as I slid a finger inside my pussy, letting him see much more than I had on that picture yesterday. A sound of pleasure escaped my mouth as I inserted another finger and curled them inside, hitting that sweet spot and rubbing my clit with the other hand.

"You're making me jealous of your own hands," he panted.

Seeing him handling his manhood with vigour made me understand where he was coming from.

The sensational fire inside me was building, and I didn't bother keeping my voice down.

"I'm not going to last very long, baby. You look so fucking hot right now, I'd like nothing more than to sink my cock into your slick pussy,"

Our breaths tangled and grew erratic and heavy.

"Come for me, Isabella. Make me see what I'm missing," he said as if he knew my orgasm was about to shatter me.

I came hard, convulsed around my fingers as I moaned for his touch. When I looked up, getting down from my high, he looked me dead in the eye and let himself fall off the edge as well. An animalistic growl erupted from his body as his seed hit his abdomen.

It was a sight for sore eyes.

My eyes fluttered to the clock on the screen of my laptop. I was totally going to be late at Rose's but I couldn't give any less of damn than I did right now.

"Wow," I breathed.

"I wasn't expecting to do that, to be honest. But I told you, I can't keep my mind off you. And I bet you just made it even harder, showing me your body like that."

A blush flooded a face and chest, a remnant of my Edward-induced orgasm. I covered myself up with my crinkled bedsheet as he cleaned himself up and put on some boxers.

_You're staring at a man swiping cum off his belly. Get a grip you dirty lady._

"You sure get a girl's motor running." _Did I actually giggle just now?_

In the real world, we'd be laying side by side, enjoying what had just happened. But reality downed on me, that Rose was waiting for me and Edward probably had something better to do than talk to a screen on Friday night.

"I'm keeping you from your plans," he stated. He'd probably seen the swift frown on my face.

"As am I, I'm sorry. I had a really nice time _talking_ to you," I admitted, an eyebrow wiggle into saying that.

His laugh boomed through my speakers.

"Thanks for the date, can I take you out someplace real next time?" He asked me and I looked down.

"I'll think about it."

* * *

**SOOOO How did we like that? Looks like they both like getting down and dirty with each other!  
Reviewers get kisses from Sexward and shout outs from me ;)**


	5. Girl's Night, it is

**Here we go, it's girls' night! *woohoo* (I would kill for one myself!)  
Please note, no ownership of Twilight for me. I only have a rich imagination and a dirty mind.**

* * *

**Five**

My walk over to Rose's was brisk, since I'd rather have spent the night with my orgasm-inducing new friend: Edward. But I couldn't break a promise to my best friend, and after het big break-up with Royce she needed a girls' night. Even though some part of me wanted to ditch the girls and drive over to find Warrior's apartment.

Knowing Alice and curious mind, she'd already be at Rose's already. I bet she was in awe at her new house. That's why she didn't need the address anymore. She just called Rose herself. I just hoped they hadn't started drinking without me.

"Well, look who the cat dragged in." from the front porch, dressed in a two-piece gold tracksuit, Rose greeted me while taking a drag from her cigarette. "I hope your secret little date was satisfactory?" She purred to me, laughing.

_Damn you, Alice._

"Don't kill me, Rose is quite scary when she wants information." Alice stepped out on to the porch, looking guilty. Lucky for her, I knew how persuasive miss Hale could be, so I just laughed and stole a much-needed cigarette from Rose.

"I'm not addicted, I just need one from time to time," I said to her, answering to the judging arched eyebrow she sported.

"That can only mean it was really good or really bad, so spill it!" She dumped the cigarette bud into the crystal ashtray balancing on the porch banister and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Is it wrong to masturbate in front of a spitting image of a sex-god?" I asked her as I puffed some smoke in her direction to mock her. "Of course, it was good, I couldn't mess it up in that time-frame."

"Sweetheart quit the stabbed heart act. You don't mess up. Look at me and Royce, now that was messed up." Rose sighed. She was referring to my fear of fully committing to a guy, to anything in fact. I got scared to buy a new car because I feared I'd get bored of it after a few weeks or just regret buying it at all.

Rose's relationship with her ex-boyfriend Royce was the epitome of messed up. They had been dating for over two years when Rosalie found out he actually was some kind of sad freak who posted pictures of her online to turn them into profit. She was so furious with the entire situation that she threw everything he owned out on the street, making a huge show out of it. Some kid from her neighbourhood actually posted a video of it onto YouTube.

"You had no part in that, Rose. The guy's sick, that was all him." I looked over at Alice and decided to turn the mood of the evening up instead of killing it with trash talk about former boyfriends.

We got to working together for our appetizers. Rose poured martini, Alice stabbed some olives with toothpicks, and I added ice to our glasses.

"Cheers, homegirls." Rose lifted her cocktail glass in the air, almost spilling the contents on her gold shirt. "And may I never have to see that asshole again." We cheered at her statement and sipped our glasses.

At about nine and several martini's later, Alice decided that we needed to fill up on food before his night was going to leave us behind with a hangover from hell.

"Get me pepperoni," I almost drooled at the thought of a steamy, hot pizza pie. As my mouth continued to water, my phone beeped.

_Edward?_

"Yeah, we all know you like your sausage," Rose giggled. She'd already taken off the sweater she was wearing and was sprawled on the shaggy carpet next to the couch Alice and I sat on. Alice had just ordered our food.

I decided I would look at that text later. I didn't want to fuel this little pun party.

"By that remark, may I suggest you try it sometime? Just casual sex," I got very talkative because of the alcohol. She stuck out her tongue in my direction and Alice shook her head laughing.

"I just can't without feelings involved, Bella! It's like I get stuck," she told us, sounding frustrated.

"Feelings always ruin things!" I exclaimed.

"They don't!" she quarrelled with me. Rosalie was one of those girls who was still patiently waiting for a prince Charming to swoop her off her feet. She never slept with a guy on the first date, and she also kept very much to herself about the subject of sex. While Alice and I talked about it freely and with no shame, Rose always seemed to hold back. Except when she was drinking. And I had a feeling a lot was going to come out of her frustrated word-vomiting tonight.

"Why do you always say that, Bella?" She almost yelled at me. "Tell me you didn't love Jake? Because it sure looked like it! You were always together; you were always prying your hands off of each other in pubic or when we went out together I almost had to stop you from jumping his bones in the back of my car!" Rose got mad about Jake. When we were a couple, she rooted for us. Jake had been a long-lost childhood friend. Rose noticed that Jacob Black wasn't a little boy anymore and he wouldn't stop asking me out. So, I agreed to do that.

We fell in love according to her, but mostly we had mind-blowing sex and a lot in common. Except the important, grown-up stuff. Jacob wanted kids, a lot of them and as soon as possible. He also wanted to move in together in the cabin in his father's back yard. In Jake's vision of the future, I'd been a lumberjack Stepford wife who lived solely for her man and their offspring. We would spend our weekends with his childhood friends, who would probably also have married each other. That just wasn't something I wanted or envisioned for myself. It still wasn't and that broke us apart. I broke us apart.

"That's it Rose! All we did was have sex and fight about what we wanted in life. He couldn't live in the moment and always seemed to be in the same place: the future," I told her, like I had a million times before.

"According to my mother, that's marriage in a nutshell," Alice mixed in, trying to lighten the mood.

Rose could smile a bit, but it faded from her beautiful face almost immediately.

"But you see him all the time," she huffed, sitting upright, impatient for her pizza to arrive.

I shook my head. That's why I never tell Rose everything straight away. She always makes more of it than it is, and I hate breaking her little, romantic heart.

"For the last time, Rose, we were only good together when things got physical. That's what happens when he calls me to invite me over to talk or if one of us is extremely lonely and in need of good fuck." Her eyes darted off, outside a car was pulling up.

The delivery man was very happy and smiley as Rose answered the door in her skintight little tank top and almost forgot to ask for his money. Alice and I giggled like the un-mature children we are.

Dinner left us feeling better, and the drama queen inside of Rose subsided. She was hangry, so then she starts digging all sorts of tales from the past.

We went over to her bedroom with adjoining bathroom and got ready for the night dancing.

"Are you sure you're going to wear jeans and a flimsy sweater to go dancing?" Rose looked me up and down, and arm resting on her hip.

"Keep the bodysuit, it's hot as hell. But put this on instead." She threw some fabric at me and I was suddenly glad one of my best friends was such a style snob. Even though Rose was taller than me, the fact that I'd been eating my feelings due to the stress I put on myself by editing James' book made me fill out the skirt. It fit perfectly and made a reminder for myself to keep the extra few pounds on.

Alice called Jasper as we got in the taxi to ride over to Static, the club Rose enjoyed so much. Rose looked at Alice in awe, probably wishing Royce hadn't been such a douche so she would have a romance of her own. She wasn't very good on her own, her heart ached for a husband and little mini-versions of herself darting around her picket-fence garden.

Maybe Rose should've been with Jacob, I mused looking out the window.

-WOP-

Rosalie managed to pull some strings since she was the one that gave Leah Clearwater -the owner the bob-cut that was so sharp it could wound. She got us a table close to the bar, facing the dance floor.

I quickly found myself a spot on the luxurious couch as Alice waved her hands to one of the waiting girls. She made her way over to the table and we got started on a bottle of sparkling wine.

Rosalie was fast to get on the dancefloor after a first glass, moving her curvaceous body around with her eyes closed, forgetting about her worries. Alice looked at me, her dark eyes gleaming in the flickering lights of the club.

"So? Miss internet romance? How'd it go?" she asked me, shuffling closer to me.

I could tell her that Edward lived and breathed in the same town as we did, but that would only get her excited and eager to meet him. Which would not happen anytime soon, since all we had done was get each other riled up and frustrated. At least, I was frustrated.

It had been some time since a guy made me feel so confident and sexy, it even felt a lot different than any guy had been with if I was being honest with myself. Maybe I had to go and meet up with him, that way we could get rid of this cloud of sexual tension and see that we really didn't fit together.

"It was, uh, interesting," I cleared my throat. For the first time, I was feeling a bit shy about a somewhat sexual encounter. Alice picked up on that of course, prying the information out of me.

After I'd told her all about our little date, her brown eyes got wide and her smile even wider.

"Bella, you totally have to get to know this guy in real life!" I gave her a little shrug and sipped my glass. I mentioned to Alice I would think about it, and she made me text him. A little message to make it clear to him I wasn't going to virtually hit it and quit it, as she called it. Since Alice had a way with people and their feelings, so I found it in my best interest to do as she suggested.

"You know, he lives not too far from me, actually." I confessed. She got my excited about it even more, so I came forward with all the details I'd learned about him.

**I wanted to tell you, I enjoy talking to you. I'd like to get to know you better x**

Alice rolled her eyes at my generic text and I stared at my screen until he replied:

**Warrior: You beat me to it, I was going to tell you the same. Talking to you feels nice, it always has, even the first conversation we had about those trolls who wouldn't die. You're very persistent, I like that**

He sends me a smiley face and the fact that he remembered I first reached out to him to kill a bunch of trolls protecting a dragon made me snort. Alice was reading the message over my shoulder.  
"Please, ask him for coffee or something," she whispered as Rose was walking over to our table.

"What are you guys so sneaky about?" She narrowed her eyes and filled herself another glass of sparkling wine.

"Bella is looking for a nice coffee place to meet up with a guy," Alice told her, and I sighed. This little person has an awfully big mouth.

"What, really?" Rose flashed a smile and peered at my phone. "Tell him to meet you at Cullenary garden," she said.

It was a cute and romantic little bistro where they served lavish high-tea and high-coffee in the afternoon.

A date in the afternoon. That should make me refrain from tearing the clothes of his delicious, hot body.

**Then I'll just be persistent right now and ask you: would you like to go out for coffee some time?**

"Have you been?" I asked Rose and she shook her head.

"No, but I just met the owner. He's really cute actually, we were just talking about it." She looked up at us, surprising us with the fact that she made an effort to talk to a guy here.

Emmett Cullen was the owner and chef at Cullenary Garden, hence the play on the word culinary. I recently stumbled across it on Facebook as I looked for coffee spots Victoria could meet clients at. As Rose talked to us, I could see her dazzling blue eyes liven up. She usually wasn't one to abandon girl's night for a guy but both Alice and I could see that Rose was quite hyped up by the man.

"Go talk to him, we'll be okay." Alice nudged Rose, earning a smile from her.

"I will, actually. And you should text the mystery man you're hiding from your best friend," she laughed at me and smoothed the fabric of her yellow bodycon dress.

Edward had already answered my message, so I guess he wasn't too busy tonight to sit around and text me.

**Warrior: tell me when and I'll be there.**

I messaged Edward to meet me Sunday at Cullenary Garden at four pm. His reply was simple yet sweet.

**Warrior: Can't wait, I almost live there anyway. Enjoy your night out with your girlfriends. I'm spending the night with Call of Duty tonight.**

Such a nerd, I thought and secretly loved it.

* * *

**The night seems to go great so far, don't you think? I wonder if it's stays without a little drama *hint*  
Please know I really appreciate the reviews and alerts! But yesterday I had trouble replying to them, the links wouldn't work! If you have any questions or you'd like to become my Beta, please let me know :D**  
**There's a group on facebook as well, PearlyFox FF **

**Big kiss!**


	6. Ressurection of Regrets

**Big thanks to my lovely Beta ladies: MissLiss15 & Maniacalmuse for dusting away the bad words and faulty grammar!**

**I felt a bit nervous posting this chapter. When I finished it, it felt right though, so I hope you'll enjoy it :)  
If you're reading this, know that SM owns all things Twilight. I do own an experience like this that I would much rather see dissapear as well, so there's that.**

**xo**

**Six**

I opened my eyes and immediately shut them again. Bright sunlight overflowing the room made my head toll. Since it was so bright out, I must have slept until noon.

Groaning, I turned around and put my throbbing head under the covers.

Wait.

I did not have green and brown striped sheets on my bed last night. They were black and ultra-soft, freshly out of the dryer.

God no, that wasn't a dream. I started panicking as I wasn't wearing anything and I could kill myself for doing this again. Everything from last night flooded back to me. I ruined girls' night after all.

"You awake?" A low, masculine voice made it clear that I, in fact, had done this again.

"I'm dead, or at least I hope I am." My voice cracked and I cleared my throat.

"Please, Bell. Don't be like that." He sat down next to me on the bed, prying the covers away from my face but keeping my body covered up.

"Jake, please. Tell me last night happened in my head?" I felt awkward and stupid.

I had been drinking too much last night when I spotted Jake from across the club. Alice warned me not to go outside on the balcony, but I couldn't stop myself. I was drawn to him, he always managed to find me.

He convinced me to go dance with him and it seemed like it was only the two of us there. Jake held me flush against him, his body immediately reacting to being close to mine. I shouldn't blame him for our weird to-and-fro. Even if I didn't like to admit it, my body couldn't deny the pull I felt towards him. How I enjoyed his warmth, the feeling of safety I had in his arms.

He took my hand in his and dragged me outside with him, flashing Alice a bright smile on our way out. I could see her frown as she walked over to where Emmett Cullen was charming the dress off of Rosalie, probably to tell her I'd fallen off the wagon again.

Jake pushed me against the wall outside, not caring if there were any other patrons around as his caramel eyes stared deep into my own. Telling me he was sorry for pushing all his ideals on me, that he wanted another shot with me, that I looked beautiful tonight. To be honest, since I hadn't heard about Edward again, it was all my lonely heart craved.

I put my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer as his breath hitched and his lips found my neck. His warm hands roamed my body, leaving sparks with his touch. Resistance was gone, I was in his arms again and in that moment my brain shut off.

"Please Bell, I'm begging you," he breathed into my ear.

I kissed Jacob, hard. Our lips moved perfectly in sync, but I couldn't help but wonder if kisses with my Warrior would be like this.

A wave of nausea took over as I pulled away from the comfort of Jake's arms.

If I could vaporize right now, I wish I would, because last thing I remember was vomiting on his shoes.

"Nothing happened except for that kiss, Bell. I promise I didn't lay a hand on you." He sighed, looking at me longingly.

"So why did I end up in your bed, naked?" I asked him, looking away and feeling embarrassed.

"You were in no condition to go home by yourself. I told Alice I'd make sure you were okay, but not before she warned me to stay away from you," he chuckled, the sound of it ringing in my head.

"I slept on the couch, and I just got you out of your clothes because you half threw up on them. They're in the dryer," he mentioned.

"Oh," was all I managed to say to him.

"Jake we really need to talk about this," I said as I motioned to the space between us.

I told Jacob he needed to move on from me. That he had to find that one girl who would gladly take all he had to offer and turn it into the life of his dreams. There were enough girls who craved a man with a five year plan for themselves. All the while I shared my thoughts to him, he stayed silent and kept looking at me.

"I know, we need to stop hooking up," he began. "I need to focus on new people, so I can forget about my feelings for you, though they'll never fade."

I gave him a smile and thanked him.

—**WOP—**

I left Jake's about an hour after. My clothes were still a bit damp, but I couldn't stand hurting him anymore by being in his cottage and turning him away once more.

He offered to drive me home, but I insisted on taking the walk, craving some fresh air and a coffee.

I was glad I brought a jacket with me last night, so I wouldn't have to wander around town in the afternoon in my getup of shame.

When I walked the few blocks home, I passed the bistro Rosalie had told me about. It was just after one in the afternoon and I decided to try it out before I met Edward the next day.

_Oh God, I should probably tell him why I fell of the face of the earth._

My phone was dead, so as I entered the cozy bistro, I asked the girl working there if I could charge my phone.

They gave me a table next to the window and access to the outlet in the wall.

Five messages and two missed calls.

_Edward had called me?_

My appetite subsided, and I ordered a coconut milk latte. She also brought me a complementary brownie.

The café was busy, tables around me were filled with all kinds of people enjoying a late lunch or coffee.

Edward had sent me three texts, asking me if my night was okay. Then he asked me if I got home safely at about three in the morning. At four, he called me followed by the message: "Please let me know you're okay."

Alice was the other one on my missed call list, as well as the other person texting me. She was mad at me for leaving with Jacob, of course.

I decided to call her. But first I needed to apologize to my Warrior. He'd probably think the worst of me, but part of me just wanted to tell him everything.

**I'm so sorry I disappeared. It wasn't intentional, my phone died and I'm a bitch from hell who couldn't hold her liquor last night, sorry.**

Before I got a reply from him, Alice was calling me. I would a dead woman if I didn't pick up this time.

"Isabella fucking Swan!" she greeted me, her voice loud and making my head throb even more. I'd pissed off cute, little Alice Whitlock.

"I know, I'm sorry Alice. So incredibly sorry, for everything." I couldn't stress the everything part enough.

I could hear her sigh on the other end of the line, probably hating me for abandoning her last light.

"I have to say, that was the first time you ever chose him over us, so I hope he's worth it," she spat at me.

Hell, I deserved the wrath of Alice. Even I was mad at myself, but she had to know I broke it off for good this morning.

"It's over, once and for all. I cut the cord and let him go. Like you told me to so many times already" I sighed.

"Where are you now?" she asked me. I could hear her closing a door, and I presumed she was in her car by now. I could tell she was downright mad, but she also knew it was a big step for me to finally let go of my past lover.

I told her to meet me at the bistro. She said she'd be here in about ten minutes.

After what felt like a lifetime, I ended the call to look at my messages.

**Warrior: You shouldn't feel like you owe me anything, Isabella. But I feel somehow very protective of you. Last night was incredible with you, I spent the entire night thinking of you and wondering if you would be safe. I shouldn't have this feeling, but I can't help myself. Don't be sorry for having a life please.**

I didn't at all think like I owed him an explanation. I honestly never had this feeling before. A perfect stranger looking out for me, even though he's never seen me up close and personal. My stomach and heart flipped around my body.

I really shouldn't have left my apartment last night.

"You're better off. I'm glad that he's gone." Alice cocked her head at me. I knew she disproved of my weird relationship with him ever since the beginning. She always told me that she got a weird vibe about him.

"Honestly, that guy is not for you Bella." She sipped her macchiato and pursed her lips.

"What are you not telling me?" I asked her, seeing her eyes flick over my shoulder and back. She sat up straight again.

"It's just that I have a really good feeling about your warrior-dude. He seems like the right man for you, Bella. I'm sorry for being so to the point and sounding like some kind of fortune telling fraud." She threw her hands in the air as to defend herself.

I smiled at her.

"I feel extremely bad, honestly. I want to explore where this thing between Edward and I can go, but I'm so scared," I confessed.

"You just have to, sweetheart. You know how much fear surrounded Jasper and I, right? He had so many demons, as had I. But you have to remember that you're entitled to some happiness. You owe it to yourself to see if he's worth it. And I think you already know the answer since you've spent so many hours talking to him already." She looked at me with kind eyes.

Alice had a way of making me feel at ease. It's one of the best things about her, never judging me but always knowing how to say the right words.

I nodded, taking my phone from the table to type out an answer to Edward.

**I don't feel like I owe you anything, but I have this desire to tell you everything about me. So you know how messed up I actually am, I'm scared you would run. I'm scared I will.**

His reply was instant.

**Warrior: Run to me, Isabella.**

I sighed and probably a bit too loud, startling Alice. When I showed her the conversation we had, she kept on frowning until she read his last text.

"Bella, go and meet this guy. This looks like lot more than just sexual tension, sweetheart." I knew she was right, but didn't want to admit it. Not when I knew I had to wait another day to see him.

I would finally feel him close to me and a thought tugged at my heart:

_I needed him._

**I know this was kind of a short one, but I wanted this chapter to be separated since Bella decided to leave Jacob behind.  
GO BELLA!**

**Now, off to better adventures.**

**Please, do leave a review! It makes the creative juices flow when I know you're enjoying yourselves!**

**Until next time,  
PF. **


	7. Restless Rambling

**Hello, kittens!  
I hope you're all ready to see inside Edward's mind, since I have an EPOV for you.**

**Greatest of thanks to my wonderfully gifted and talented Beta: manicalmuse. If you haven't read her story The Night She Wore Black yet, please do! It's the most amazing love story, and almost completed! Go ahead and show her some love!**

**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the previous chapters, I really do love you! It always brings a smile to my face!**

**-WOP-**

**Chapter 7 : Restless Ramblings**

**EPOV**

I cradled my phone in my hands, searching for a little white lie to tell my mother I won't be coming to brunch tomorrow. There was no way I'd be any kind of good company knowing I was meeting _her _later that day. I hoped we were still going to go on that date, since I had yet to hear from her.

When Isabella told me to meet her at Cullenary Garden, a nervous feeling crept over me, settling in my stomach like a brick. I know she probably wanted to meet me on neutral grounds, since being all alone with her in either of our homes would escalate into something physical much too fast.

_Like you'd mind_, I thought.

I acted cool about it, told her I almost lived there anyway, which was true. But I didn't tell her my brother owned the place.

I really wanted to get to know her. Who was this person behind the texts and messages I'd grown to like so much already? Something about her threw me completely off, making me toss and turn at night thinking of her. Especially last night, when I didn't hear from her after the text she'd sent me to meet up in the realm of Los Angeles instead of online.

Staring out my living room window, I thought about last night:

My gaming skills diminished rapidly as I couldn't get my head in the right mindset. I was so desperate, I even called her after I'd had another beer, feeling more confident. To be honest, it was probably for the better when she didn't pick up the phone. What would I have said to her_? 'Hey, it's me and I'm worried you died or got hurt, or worse, were talking to another man.'_ No, that would be horrid.

As I lay in bed after my calls and messages, I couldn't help but picture her out with her friends.

_Would she talk about me?_

In my mind, Isabella was having fun. Probably dancing or drinking some kind of fancy, colorful drink. She'd laugh with her girlfriends and maybe get a little tipsy. I only hoped there were no creeps around, mainly because she looked so astonishingly beautiful when I saw her.

_Fucking sexy,_ that was what she looked like.

I couldn't help but let my mind wander to a place in a parallel universe, one where I'd be out with her last night. How I would attempt to make her feel like the Enchantress she was; she'd sit next to me while my arm draped around her shoulder, my fingers playing with a strand of her hair. How she would look at me as if she wanted me to kiss her, or more. If she wanted, I'd take her dancing—not my strong suit—just to feel her luscious body against mine.

Thinking about her, even just her face, made me feel more aroused then any girl ever had.

I was never that reckless before, getting naked in front of that little camera for someone, without first getting to know her. I couldn't help myself; neither could the erection in my pants the second I saw her face on my screen. The pictures she sent me were getting me excited already, especially the one from our first naughty encounter. Her hand touching the place I'd love to touch for her had me going crazy.

When she told me she lived in L.A., it took all my strength and good-guy manners to stop me from going over there, pulling her against me and making her feel what she did to me. I'd press my hard cock to the swell of that perfect ass before I bent her over any surface and took her right then and there.

But a gentleman would never do that, of course.

My phone chimed, making me jump and almost drop the phone as my daydreaming faded.

"Hey Em," I answered. My brother calling me on a Saturday on the verge of the afternoon probably meant he was horribly hungover and wanted to go out for greasy food.

"Can you talk?" he almost whispered.

"Sure, what's up?"

"I had the best night of my life, honest to God, and I need your advice," he rambled.

Emmett was no man to be rambling so I bet it had something to do with a female companion he spent the night with.

"What happened?" I asked him, sauntering to the kitchen to grab myself another coffee.

"I met someone last night, but I think I ruined it," he admitted, sighing.

"Ruined it how, exactly?" I poured myself a big cup of java.

"We were talking, just talking. It was so weird, I felt like we had so much to chat about and I hogged her away from her friends for hours…" he trailed off. "Until out of the blue I asked her to come back to my place."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yes, and…? Did she blow you off?" I asked him, genuinely surprised to hear there was a woman out there to say 'no' to Emmett Cullen, flirting machine extraordinaire.

"I don't know, Edward!" I could sense the frustration in his voice. "She gave me her phone number and said 'not tonight,' but she seemed amused, didn't get mad or anything," he told me.

"Sounds like she wants to make you work for it, brother. You haven't done that in a while, so you better polish up your dating skills," I chuckled.

My brother had been single ever since he opened his bistro three years ago. He worked too much, obviously, so my mother made him take Sundays off so we could all enjoy brunch and some quality time together. I never felt more glad for my mother's persuasion skills, since Isabella wanted to meet at the place he built from scratch. I didn't want to talk about her to Emmett yet, he was too much of a jerk to me when it came to girls.

Emmett told me about the girl he met last night, a curvaceous blonde with her own business, which already gave them something in common. She was a hairdresser, he told me and not much more, which was out of character for him. I decided not to call him out for that, and advised him to call or text her later this week so he didn't seem like he just wanted her in his bed.

_Great advice, sex master. _I laughed out loud at my hypocrite advice, as not too many hours ago I literally jerked off to a girl who hadn't even met me yet. We hadn't gone on a date and she hadn't made me work for it. _What did that mean? And why had it felt so normal, and why didn't I feel like a sad perv? _On the contrary, she made me feel good and those orgasms were out of this world. I thought I was going to pass out the last time.

My phone alerted me to a text when I booted up my PlayStation and sat down in my desk chair. _Isabella._

She texted me that her phone had died, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. At least she wasn't ghosting me; that was good. I guess she got drunk last night, and part of me wished she hadn't. I didn't want her to be vulnerable to douches and dicks putting the moves on her.

My reply seemed a little harsh, telling her she didn't owe me any explanation. I was afraid to let her know how much she affected me, physically and emotionally. She was so fun to talk to, into the same weird games I was, and _so fucking beautiful and sexy and confident._

When she responded with the words I couldn't type out to her, I was surprised to see she wanted me to know more about her. Even more surprised when she thought she would scare me off, like that would even happen.

_How could I run from this Enchantress when she's already put some kind of spell on me?_

I felt intrigued why she would say something like that. Was she sad? Did something happen to her? Did someone hurt her in the past? I wanted to take her into my arms, kiss those pouty lips of her and look into her sultry, chocolate brown eyes, not needing any words to tell her it would be okay.

I couldn't fathom being away from her anymore, I needed to know more, jump into this eyes closed and drown in her soul.

_Almost twenty-four hours to go until I can see her, talk to her. Give her the date she deserves, not the hormone-crazed Edward she already met._

My fingers flew across the screen of my phone, typing what I wanted to say to her in the least amount of words possible.

**Run to me, Isabella.**

I hit send, aching for a reply as I ran my hands through my messy hair. The bet with Emmett made absolutely no sense at all. He dared me to slip a porn screenshot into a presentation for the stick-up-her-ass client I was assembling a web site for. Seeing as she already turned down quite a few offers from both my colleague and myself, I couldn't afford to pull a prank like that. Instead, Emmett appeared on my doorstep with a bowl and some temporary hair dye last week.

_It better be temporary._

My Enchantress hadn't responded to my emotionally loaded message yet, so I distracted myself, abandoning my desk and retreating to the shower to wash my hair as much as possible.

After my shower, I didn't even bother to dry off first before I checked my phone. I had one unread message:

**Enchantress: Where do I run to, then? **

I sighed as I read it, not knowing what to say. Do I invite her over? What do I do?

**Meet me for dinner? Real or online, I don't care. Can't wait until tomorrow.**

I looked up restaurants close to Huntington Park, where she told me she lived. What kind of food did she like? Indian? Italian? Was she vegetarian? There was so much I didn't know yet. Maybe I shouldn't have invited her for dinner. What if she didn't want to or maybe I was being too forward? She probably mistook me for an impatient dork who couldn't wait one more day to see her. I felt nervous. What if _she_ thought I was only trying to get her in my bed? I couldn't deny the fact that I wanted her, but this wasn't all about sex.

_Maybe that's all she wants? You can't know that._

**Enchantress: I want you and takeout, is that also an option?**

I let out a groan; there was no way I could keep my hands off her if she stepped into my condo. So she didn't think it was weird. Isabella wanted this as well.

_I guess you'll have to try,_ I thought as I gave her my address.

In a few hours, my Enchantress was by my side and I'd try to win her heart, battle or not.

-WOP-

**So what do we think about our man of the hour? Will he be a gentleman, or something entirely different? ;)  
**Hit me up on Facebook, I made a group: PearlyFox FF :)

Thanks for taking the time to read my story, I really do appreciate it!  
Let me know in the reviews if you'd like a teaser of next chapter

xo 


	8. Hello, Stranger

**Hi kittens! **

**I'm back with the highly anticipated chapter: the first real meeting...**

**Had fun writing this, so much that I had to break it up into two chapters. **

**Big love and thank you to _maniacalmuse_, the woman who makes my writing readable and helps me get a better author on here! *loveyougirl*. Please go and check out her work, you won't be able to stop. **

**Thank you to MeteorOnAMoonlessNight for rec'ing my fic! Could NOT be any more honored. Having said all that, you know I don't own Twilight... But I do own several awkward moments about dating. **

**Enjoy! **

Chapter Eight : Hello, Stranger.

As I got home, my nerves settled in. He wanted to meet me, tonight. I paced around my living room, clutching my phone tightly.

_Do I get dinner and bring it there? Do we order something together? What kind of foods does he like?_

I sighed and recalled my talk with Alice from earlier in the bistro. She gave me some first-class advice to ease my overactive, loquacious mind. She told me to take a long, steamy shower and wash my hair, groom my body and apply my favorite makeup. Do everything the way I liked it, so I would feel confident and composed. I had to admit, there was nothing I'd like more right now than to get out of these cursed clothes from last night.

Fleeing to my bathroom, I peeled the clothes off of my body and threw them in the hamper even though they had just been laundered.

I turned the shower on, waiting for the stall to fill with steam.

Stepping into the glass box, the water poured down on me, soaking my hair. I closed my eyes, relishing the feel of the hot splatters against my skin. I washed my hair and paid attention to every inch of my body when I lathered up, the smell of roses enveloping me. By the time I was done, I was sure there was not a single hair left on my frame.

I felt refreshed as I wiped the mirror with a towel and cracked open the window in my bathroom, feeling the afternoon air circulate in.

Wrapping a big towel around myself, I walked over to my closet in search for an appropriate outfit for my official first date with my Warrior. I frowned as I went over the options: sexy, casual, dressy — I couldn't decide.

Alice's voice chimed inside my head again, telling me to prepare for what I wanted to happen, even if it wouldn't. My frown faded and I found myself smiling, remembering her exact words: "He's seen you naked, Bella. Better wrap it up in something the man hasn't seen before."

My hands ran through my lingerie drawer, feeling around the soft and delicate fabrics until they found the muted, dusty-rose lace bra with a cutout design on the cups. I'd bought it a while back in an expensive boutique and it fit my chest perfectly, giving me a little extra lift. The lace was soft and delicate, and I looked for the matching panties in the drawer below. They were high-waisted but still sexy, the lace alternating with a few transparent patches between them and frills on the top.

Before I gave myself a speech about being too much and too straightforward, I took the undergarments into the bathroom, hydrating my body with the high-end lotion I splurged on that matched the scent of my signature perfume.

I got into my undies and strolled over to the closet once more, picking out my clothing. Fashion wasn't something that particularly interested me, but shopping trips with Rosalie and Alice luckily provided me with some good pieces.

It was still quite warm outside, so I opted for a soft, cotton dress with three-quarter length bell sleeves in a navy, checked print, hitting me mid-thigh and cinching me at the waist. Modest, yet playful with its flowy fabric allowing me to show off the art on my leg.

I looked myself over in my floor-to-ceiling mirror and decided I liked the outfit. My makeup was quick yet put-together and I finished my look with some gunmetal embellished boots.

"Breathe, Bella," I chanted to myself as I styled my blow-dried tresses into place with my fingers and fiddled with my phone, opening my texting app. Was it too early to go over there?

The alarm clock in my bedroom read 5:30 p.m. and I continued tapping the screen, writing to Edward.

**Is it okay if I come over now? Do you want me to pick up food or do you want to decide later? I don't really know what you'd like.**

His reply took a few minutes to arrive, making me grow even more nervous from the anticipation.

_What if it was a trick?_

**Warrior: There's nothing I'd want more. Don't bother, we'll pick something together.**

_Together._

I got giddy reading his message. He'd used 'we' and 'together,' two words that made the butterflies in my stomach go on a rampage. Something about it convinced me he couldn't wait for this date either.

My fingers flew over the array of apps on my phone screen, opening the note I set up when he had sent me his address. The psycho in me already ran a Google search on the surroundings and found a street view of the building, erasing the last doubts I had about Edward being some kind of phony pervert.

_After all, I started perving on him._

I texted him that I was on my way, hurrying to my car in the underground parkade of my apartment complex.

The engine of my Ford sedan came to life as I turned on the air conditioning in an attempt to cool down the feverish heat coursing through my body. My palms felt clammy as I gripped the steering wheel after I'd put in his info into the car's GPS.

The drive was pleasant, and only about half an hour. I silently thanked the traffic gods for no problematic traffic jams, since I hated L.A. for having those on a daily basis.

Magnolia Avenue was near Koreatown, the sidewalks and streets fairly busy yet comforting. His building caught my gaze right away since I'd been staring at it on my phone screen earlier. The outside was clean, painted a light gray color with white accents around the windows and a white metal fence. There seemed to be only two units in the building, and he said his was on the ground floor.

I parked my car alongside the road and nervously walked up to the gate and around the corner, as he told me to, toward the entrance of his condo. The big, white tiles led me to the neat, well-kept little yard on the side, three steps leading up to the front door. I took a moment to compose myself and smooth the fabric of my dress. It was then that my eyes locked with the tag next to the doorbell: 'Edward Cullen.'

_Cullen, as in Emmett Cullen? _It wasn't that common of a surname as far as I knew, but could he be related to the guy Rose was talking about? He did say he practically lived at Cullenary Garden, as well. At least now I had an icebreaker if things were weird and uncomfortable, something to start off with to keep myself distracted and refrain myself from flinging my body upon him.

Breathing out, I pushed the doorbell and waited anxiously for the handle to turn. My heart was pounding when it did an instant later, like he'd been waiting at the door for me to arrive. When the white door swung open, the late afternoon sun beamed on the most handsome man I'd ever seen in my life. The light reflected off his glasses, causing a sparkle in those heavenly green eyes I now peered into face-to-face. He looked so much better than on my screen, on any photo I'd seen. His hair was a dark shade of reddish brown in perfect disarray, light stubble covered a sharp jawline, and his full lips curved in a crooked smile.

My nerves disappeared instantly, the feelings replaced by something else as my attraction to him awakened.

"Hi," he greeted me, leaning against the frame of the door, gazing at me intensely, triggering a blush that settled on my cheeks. His deep and husky voice made me feel hot all over.

I couldn't help but smile at his appearance. He was much taller than I thought he'd be, a little over six feet by my guess. He was wearing dark-wash, fitted straight-leg jeans along with a simple gray Henley shirt with the three little buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up his tattoo-covered arms. I'm sure if I let myself, I'd turn into a puddle of drool at his sock-clad feet, merciless against his good looks and crooked smile. I was acting creepy as it felt like I had been staring at him for hours before I could speak again.

"Hey," I breathed, happy to see him open the door further and step back into his little hallway as an invitation for me to come in.

Edward ran a hand through his hair as his fiery jade eyes stared into mine. He liked that I was here, I could tell. I hesitated, my eyes flickering to his hair, reminding myself to not make an awkward fool out of myself.

"Your hair looks good this way," I noted, slightly jealous of his hand for being able to touch it. He laughed — a throaty, genuine laugh — and it made my panties suddenly very aware of my arousal. I loved it.

"Thank you," he began, motioning for me to come in and closing the door behind me. "After all the washing I did, I was afraid I'd have no hair left," he joked.

I looked around the inside of his condo. The walls were painted an off-white, grayish shade and decorated with black-framed, colorful art prints. Around the corner of the hallway was his living room, where sat a giant, dark wall unit with a big flat screen surrounded by shelves of books and drawers on the bottom.

Black, wooden Venetian blinds hung in every window, open and letting sunlight shine through the masculine yet comfortable room. He had a large, dark, L-shaped corduroy couch that looked very inviting. I could imagine spending hours there cuddling up to Edward just watching TV or watching him game. A side table with a record player caught my eye, along with a stack of what looked like comic books and a video game controller. I grinned, loving this peek into his life. His taste in interior design and pastimes was perfect; he was my unicorn in a flock of distasteful, obnoxious pigeons.

"You're too perfect. It's killing me," I sighed as he walked closer to me, my body being drawn to his like a magnet. He smiled, looking at me with a look I couldn't decipher right away as he took my hands into his. I thought my heart would give out, its ecstatic pounding making me lightheaded and electric currents running through my veins as I felt his touch.

"You're one to talk, Isabella," he said to me, his voice soft. I usually hated being called Isabella, but I couldn't find the strength to correct him. I loved the way it rolled off his tongue. He could call me anything he wanted; I didn't care.

"Do we kiss now?" I blurted out, taken aback by my own courage. His sparkly green eyes flirted with my lips, his head cocked to the side as he answered my burning question.

"I can't think of anything I'd rather do right now," he whispered as his hands pulled me closer to him. I could feel his body heat through the thin material of his shirt as my chest pressed to his, my nipples instantly hard in prospect of what was about to happen. I wanted to rip the fabric away, feeling his obviously muscle-rippled skin on mine as his arm wrapped around my waist and held me to him. This wasn't imaginary anymore. He was real and right here.

His hot breath fanned over my ear as he brushed away a strand of my hair, pressing a kiss to the sensitive skin of my neck. I suppressed a moan when my fingers raked over his tense arms and into his hair. I pulled his mouth to mine, finally getting the contact I craved.

In movies they made it look so dramatic, but I swear my mind went in slow-motion when our lips touched. His stubble felt rough against my face, his lips gentle yet demanding as his hands gripped the fabric of my dress as if to hold me in place forever.

Our kiss deepened as his grip on my dress tightened, like he wanted to be even closer to me. He groaned as my tongue caressed his lips and met his, the sound of it sparking even more desire and the urge to please him grew to unbearable proportions. The smell of Edward enclosing me made me feel like I was high, needing more. I don't know if he wore a special cologne, but he smelled like a man: comforting, sexy and safe. I moaned into his mouth as he nipped my bottom lip playfully with his teeth, making me wish he was kissing me somewhere else right now.

He was as much into this kiss as I was, the hardness in his jeans pressing into my lower abdomen, our breaths mingling passionately. I needed this, so badly. I needed this from the second I laid eyes on him and from the moment our conversations turned a little too friendly on the game chatroom. I could barely live, knowing that his home was close by, knowing he was there, and I was only a few miles away. But now that I had this, the reality of his kiss and to have seen him in person, made it impossible to go back to Skype and sexting. I lusted after this man, craved him like a drug so much it made my head spin.

Some wave of clarity carried itself through my mind and this otherworldly kiss and made me realize I wanted to do this right. I needed to know everything about Edward, what he loved and hated, what he wanted, what made him crazy. This was not just about sex and physical attraction. I've had that before and acted on it and kissing alone never made me feel this way. I needed to find out what it was about this man that made me so fucking insane.

His hands never went under my dress during our kiss, even though I wished they had. He was being a perfect, _hot_ gentleman with this. It confirmed what I was wondering about earlier, he wanted more than just a hookup, too. At least, that was what I hoped.

He broke away from our kiss like he could read my mind, letting go of his death-grip that was bunching up my dress and resting his forehead against mine, a little out of breath.

"No, you for sure are going to be the death of me, Isabella." His eyes were dark with lust, smile wide.

I was so ready for us to be real.

**I'm sorry to cut it off here, but this was getting out of hand *oops*. I just love these two adorable dorks together, you'll have part two of the date soon (probably Sunday or Monday) **

**Please say hi in the reviews, I love hearing from you and reply every single one. **

**MWAH! **

**Meet me on Facebook : PearlyFox FF**


	9. Takeout and Tingles

**A/N **Hi everyone! Today's the day, the longest chapter I've written so far. I really didn't want to cut it of before the date ended. So it's over 6,000 words.

Thank you kisses for **maniacalmuse**, best beta in town. Thanks for the talks and laughs together, you're as good as they come ;)

Hit me up on Facebook (PearlyFox Fanfic), I promise to treat you with teasers and banners -if I don't forget.

Enjoy & peel off your sweater because it's getting quite hot in here ;-)

* * *

**Chapter 9 : ****Takeout and Tingles**

I had barely recovered from our heated kiss when Edward told me to sit down and relax. My body tingled, my cheeks were on fire and my lips already missed his. I sat down on his wonderfully comfortable couch, leaning into the cushions.

"Some little bird told me you like wine, so I got you some," Edward said, opening his fridge. When he leaned down to retrieve the bottle, I got an excellent view of his glorious backside in those jeans. _The little bird was me, naked_. As I thought about that, I couldn't help but think about Edward in front of the webcam, his naked body sprawled out for me to see, but I locked the sex kitten away and shifted around on the couch to sit more comfortably, crossing one leg over the other.

Edward uncorked the white wine, curling his fingers around the corkscrew to unseal the bottle.

_That man could make anything look erotic._

He strolled over with two generously filled glasses and handed one to me.

"So, uh, did you find the place okay?" he asked timidly, sitting down next to me, pushing his glasses back up his nose. The bold sex god seemed to be tucked away for now as well.

"Yeah and traffic wasn't bad either. You know, for L.A.," I trailed off, cursing myself for sounding so awkward.

I truly didn't know what to say. I didn't know what people did on first dates after they'd already had such _intimate_ conversations with each other. Mostly on dates, I just looked forward to when they ended or to when the 'your place or mine' came up. Not today. I wanted the first-date experience and the hours of conversation. Although part of me wanted nothing more than to see where that kiss could take us, too.

Edward noticed my silence and took a sip from his elegant wine glass, swallowing the amber-colored wine. "Is _this_ weird?" he asked, his hands motioning to the air between us. "Do you regret coming here?" His emerald eyes looked worried and I wanted to shoot myself for being the reason he had that look on his face.

"_No_," I blurted out quickly, shaking my head. "Not at all! I love this, I just … uh, I don't want to fuck it up. I'm so glad to see you," I told him and put my hand on his, earning an eager smile. Edward took my hand and I was glad to have his warm skin touch mine again.

"I have no idea how to do this, do you?" I asked him, lost.

I wasn't going to get anywhere by just jumping his bones, not if I wanted to break my habit of casual sex with strangers and my ex-boyfriend.

Edward sighed adorably as he ran his other hand through his already messy hair. "Isabella, I almost couldn't keep it together just by kissing you. I haven't been this hard in a long time," he admitted, chuckling and gazing at me with hunger in his eyes. I had to look away.

"Maybe we should just get this over with, so you can move on with your night," I almost whispered, hoping he'd turn me down.

"Don't be ridiculous. I do _not_ want to get this over with, baby," he said, and took his bottom lip between his teeth. "I need to have dinner with you."

I smiled like a crazy person. _Baby? Yes, please!_

"I'll get the takeout menus and some snacks, then you'll tell me _everything _about yourself, deal?" Edward rose from the couch and walked to his kitchen again, rummaging through a drawer. He came back to me with about seven different flyers and a cute ceramic bowl filled with olives.

"You're too cute, honestly," I declared, looking him over once more. Edward had everything I liked in a guy. He loved gaming, was a tad nerdy, and he was so _freaking _sexy it almost hurt. His glasses made him appear softer, kind, while his tattoos gave him an edgier side. He was the best of both worlds. His actions showed me he cared and wanted to impress me, but he had already ticked off that box many times before, online and now here in person. _Why wasn't he taken yet, living in a four bedroom house with a beautiful wife on his arm and a couple of green-eyed kids?_

We decided to order Italian, classic spaghetti and meatballs for the both of us, my personal favorite. Edward told me the place we ordered from made such big servings, he could eat three dinners by ordering just one dish — he loved it. I called him a cheapskate, he laughed at my joke and threw an olive at me. _Perfect night so far._

"Tell me about your job," I proposed curiously, downing my second glass of wine and reminding myself not to get drunk on this heavenly date. I really wanted to remember everything, and not make a fool of myself.

Edward got a smile on his face and sat up straight, pulling his phone out of his pocket and starting to type while talking to me. "Let me show you. I finally got the green light from Mrs. Stick-up-her-ass; her new shop is live." He proudly handed me the phone to show me his work.

The woman in question seemed to be one of the worst ball-busters in history and Edward and his co-workers were close to telling her to go fuck herself and build her own website.

My knowledge of designing a website and everything around it was close to nil, but I could tell he was passionate about it, explaining what it took for her to say yes.

"So she specifically wanted the entire theme of the webshop to change every time? To match the shoe? _Every_ time?" I was completely flabbergasted after everything he told me. That woman was anal with a capital A, and not afraid to flaunt it.

"Poor guys!" I was laughing so hard at this point my eyes started to water.

"Laugh all you want, she gifted me a lifelong discount at _Glassslipper_ dot com _. _You'd better not try me if you'd like to benefit from it, Isabella," he joked.

"You're going to buy me shoes now? I like you even more now. That discount should help with your cheapskate ways." I arched my brow at him, enjoying my sarcastic teasing as he looked at me, unimpressed by my little joke.

"How long have you been doing web design?" I wondered and stole an olive out of the bowl, enjoying the salty taste.

"Ever since I graduated, I got to do my internship there and just never left." He shrugged. Edward opened his mouth as to say something else but he closed it again, leaving me wondering.

"What is it?" I asked him, tucking one leg under me and fiddling with the clasps on my boots.

He smiled his dazzling smile at me. "It's silly, but I really do want to start my own business someday. Build something for myself," he said.

"You really should if that's what you want. Life's too short to do something half-assed," I told him, nudging his shoulder. He lifted his brows and his eyes turned darker.

"I know, and I will. If I want it badly enough," he muttered and poured us another glass of wine.

We talked some more about his dream to become an entrepreneur. Something that apparently ran in his family, since I got him to tell me Emmett Cullen was actually his older brother.

"He works all the time, you know. I'm just kinda scared that I'll end up being some kind of workaholic eternal bachelor, just like him," Edward admitted.

I smiled at him, remembering the night Rosalie met his brother and decided to tell him.

"You know, I don't think he's such a lonely guy. A friend of mine actually met him the other night and she really seemed to like him, couldn't shut up about him."

Edward's eyes met mine, amused. "No way, you're kidding me right? A tall blonde? Likes to play hard-to-get?" he asked me, and I snorted.

"Rosalie can be quite the tough nut to crack, especially when she's really into a guy. She'll really make him work for it. I hope he's up for that and not just a quick hook-up." I laughed, remembering the days early in her relationship with Royce. She barely talked to the guy, giving him her best icy glares and unfuckable attitude while she could not for the life of her stop gushing over his smashing good looks. If I recalled that night at the club correctly, she was doing the same with Emmett.

"She really should do that, he hasn't had to put in some effort in a while. It'll be good for him." Edward rested his gaze on the black screen of the TV. Our reflection in it looked so comfortable, like I had known him for so much longer than I actually had.

_What might he be thinking?_

Thinking about the other night made my stomach feel uneasy. Looking back at that night and my mood swings, causing me to take things way too far with Jacob, caused me to feel guilty.

"I need to tell you something," I broke out of my thoughts, making Edward look at me.

"You're finally going to tell me about your job now? I need the details on how you managed to get promoted, I'm curious," he said while he went to sit crossed-legged on the cushy couch.

I sighed, wanting to tell him about that too, but I needed to get this off my chest first. The wine made me a bit more at ease, as I stopped thinking and just talked.

"There's something else I need to get out first if you don't mind. If you want to run away from me after this, that's totally fine. You don't owe me anything," I muttered and his expression turned tense somehow.

"Why would I run from you? I just got you here." His hand found mine and his thumb stroked my wrist. Edward's touch seemed to relax me and a voice in my head told me it would be okay.

"The night I fell off the face of the earth, I was at my ex's place," I started and looked up to see his reaction. He didn't look at me strangely so I took that as my cue to go on with my little confession.

"I got so drunk. It was emotional and heavy, and he found me when I was down and wallowing in self-pity. We've been having this strange relationship.I kept holding on to it, even though I knew we were made of glass and there was no way in hell we were right for each other." Edward nodded, keeping his eyes on mine as if he was looking for something, and his hand still rested on mine.

"So, we kissed again and then I woke up in his bed thinking I'd slept with him. Fortunately I hadn't, and he just took care of me when I threw up. He washed my clothes…" I trailed off.

Edward wasn't looking at me and a frown appeared between his eyebrows. I wanted to brush it off of his face and make him smile again when he broke my monologue.

"I was really worried about you but felt like an overprotective ass. You obviously don't have to explain yourself to me, I just got attached to our little conversations and kinda got my hopes up," he admitted quietly.

"Please don't say that." I shook my head, trying to find words that would express how much it meant to me that he was in fact worried and thinking of me. "Edward, after we first talked I didn't think about him. I didn't feel like a giant mess, but when I hit that funk I just wished you were there with me. I wondered what you would be doing and figured you'd be out, like normal people on Friday nights." I sighed and his eyes softened.

"That Skype-date with you was running around my head, shouting at me that I should've just stayed away from that club and asked you to come over." I trailed off.

"I couldn't do anything beside die in my video game and wonder what you were doing, who you were talking to." His sweet green eyes penetrated straight to my heart as I felt even worse now. He had been worried about who I was talking to, and there I was, making up my own storyline of Edward out and just thinking of me as an easy way to an orgasm. _Which he wasn't thinking at all._

"I'm sorry, please don't hate me," I whispered.

His grip on my hand tightened and he brought it to his face, pressing a tender kiss onto the back of my hand. I swear I could feel it tingle even after his lips were gone.

_He didn't hate me._

"You want to talk former lovers and let me take away this suffering look on your face?" he asked and I nodded, clearing my throat.

"Then you're in for a treat," he began, smiling wickedly and taking the hand he had kissed between his own.

He told me about Tanya, the crafty daughter of one of his father's golf club buddies and how she spun her web. They met when they were seventeen, during summer break, and got along perfectly fine. At that time, Edward's days and nights consisted purely of gaming, sleeping, and smoking weed with his brother. I laughed a little at that, imagining Edward in that awkward not-a-teen-anymore versus not-really-a-man-yet phase and how he had no interest any girl that didn't wear battle get-ups.

Tanya and her parents were spending a few weeks at their house, since her mother was remodeling and a construction worker unfortunately cut through a gas pipe under their flooring. They were forced to evacuate the premises until the matter was solved and Edward's mother was too hospitable to let them stay at a hotel. A girl like her — rich and a little too privileged for her own good — knew only one way to have a good time: to make poor, nerdy teenage boys swoon all over her and use them as some kind of play thing. She spent her days hanging out by the Cullen's indoor pool, reading magazines, and occasionally pulling out the lounge chair to work on her tan. She picked her spot to soak up the rays of sunshine quite well, right underneath the window of Edward's bedroom, where she'd pull her top off and just wait for him to take the bait.

Teenage boys will be teenage boys, and eventually Edward caught glimpses of her bosom, gawking at the sight.

Since Edward told me Tanya was 'a pretty girl' and talked to him, he thought she was in love with him. Or at least interested.

On her last night at the Cullen residence, there was a little dinner party. She pulled Edward into the nearest empty room and started kissing him, leaving him with an uncontrollable hard-on and a red face. He didn't see her again until his second year of college, when she started hanging out again at the golf club where his father was a member. She always wore short plaid skirts or skin-tight white shorts, looking at Edward in a strange, new way.

By then, Edward had started working out more and had gotten more confident, and he asked her out.

"We went out a couple of times, we slept together and she just started acting weird." He shrugged and continued. "I accused her of cheating when I went back to college and she didn't even deny it, agreed we should see different people because I wasn't doing it for her and I was a childish fool." Edward laughed but I felt bad. As I sat there and looked at him, how I felt after that searing kiss, what more did Tanya need?

_Because he sure was doing all kinds of things to my insides and he wasn't even touching me._

"She's married to some older dude now and lives in Alaska, waiting for her fortune to drop in her lap when the guy dies," he ended.

"So, she's some kind of trophy black widow or something?" I snorted. I couldn't imagine him with a woman like that but he nodded and laughed as well.

"Piece of my history I would like to forget, but I wanted to make you feel better."

He kinda did, even though his story was from years ago and I couldn't make myself forget how dumb I was to let it drag on so long with Jake. It wasn't the same kind of story, but it made Edward feel bad about his sense of judgement and that was exactly how I felt about Jacob Black. A mistake, something I wish I could erase from my past and memories.

I bit my lip as I spilled my next question without thinking. "Only one girl, then?"

Edward laughed and raised an eyebrow, his eyes playful as he answered. "I'm not a monk, Enchantress," he said and shot me a wink. "I haven't really dated a lot, but I did have my share of one-nighters and a very awkward encounter with Princess Leia at ComicCon last year." He looked away from me, not at all embarrassed and I just couldn't contain myself from bursting out laughing.

"No way, you defiled the goddess of the galaxies?" I giggled as he joined in my laughter, a slight blush coloring his complexion.

"I wore my stormtrooper getup, felt a little rebellious to go out and fuck my boss's captured Princess." His words only made me laugh harder and I felt myself tearing up, my cheeks warm painful from all the hilarity.

"Thank God for ComicCon," I breathed.

"You're so beautiful when you smile," he said suddenly. I couldn't imagine looking anything but red-faced and teary-eyed from all the laughter but found his remark adorable. Edward's expression changed suddenly as he looked deeply into my eyes, it was like I felt myself being pulled closer to him and had another one of my speak-don't-think episodes.

"You make me forget about my mistakes," I said and slid my hand over his arm, feeling like that fifteen-year-old Bella again: vulnerable and inexperienced. "Wipe my memory, Warrior." I tried to sound sexy in my whisper and it seemed to get the job done. In less than a second, his lips were on mine, dominant and urgent.

My arms clung to his neck as he deepened the kiss, his hands on my waist and his kiss sending shivers throughout my entire body. Edward's lips were like a drug and I needed more. His tongue met mine and I knotted my fists into his shirt, pulling him harder against me. He groaned, a sound low and deep in his throat, sending the butterflies in my stomach into overdrive. I loved that sound but it wasn't enough. A breathy moan escaped my mouth as he kissed my neck and his hands drifted under the skirt of my dress. He cupped my ass tightly as if he wanted to hold me in place, and his hands seemed to leave scorching hot fingerprints behind. I felt myself melt into this kiss, this mind blowing, impossibly arousing kiss. He was a warrior, and I just lost the battle with my sanity as his teeth nipped the skin on the side of my neck.

"You're driving me insane, Isabella," he breathed, and I could feel the rapid beating of his heart from where my hands were knotted in his shirt. Edwards hands pulled me into him, grinding my lace-clad core against the harness in his jeans.

I moved my hips and he threw his head back against the couch as the most sexy moan I'd ever heard erupted from his mouth. The friction of the thick material of his jeans with my barely covered center was heavenly. We were wearing too much fucking clothing and it drove me wild. My hands pulled at his shirt as my lips roamed his neck, leaving a trail of kisses as he grabbed my hair, tugging my head so his lips found mine again. I gasped into his mouth but he didn't let go. He was totally in charge now, and it was unbearably hot.

I'm sure he'd be needing a mop later, because my panties must have been soaking wet at this point.

"I'm so sorry, I got carried away," Edward said as he broke the kiss, panting as much as I was. I shook my head violently, wishing he hadn't stopped, when the doorbell rang.

"Right, our food's here." He laughed and I moved off of him, pulling my dress down and looked at the bulge in his pants.

_Poor guy._

"I'll get it, I'm afraid the delivery guy might get ideas when he sees you like this." I winked at him as I came down from the high of our kiss. I walked to the door and attempted to smooth my hair, knowing for a fact that my lips were a tad swollen from that make-out session and the blush covering my face and chest were as much of a giveaway as the erection in his pants.

-WOP-

Somehow we went from dry-humping on his couch to eating on the floor like nothing happened and again it felt like we'd known each other for years instead of weeks. Edward was not wrong about the size of the takeout container and the flavor of the food: it was heavenly.

We ate our dinner and laughed at stories Edward told me about growing up with his burly brother and his parents who had to endure all their antics. His mother was a gynecologist and his father an ER doctor. They met on the job, and the rest was history. He asked me about my family, and seemed genuinely sad when I told him about the broken relationship I had with my mother and her new family. It was like she knew she screwed up the first one she had and now tried so much harder to live her American dream. Edward wanted to know about my father and growing up in Washington but I could only tell him my dad and I got along fine, but didn't really have a very close bond. It occurred to me that the two of us were very different when it came to our families and upbringing. I felt a strong desire to learn more about the Cullens.

Enthusiastically, I let Edward know everything he wanted to about my job and Victoria. He seemed impressed, proud even with my bold move to show Victoria what I could do by editing the book myself. We talked about my expectations and I confessed I was really nervous for Monday, hoping I would not make my boss regret her decision.

After dinner, I helped Edward clean up the coffee table from stray spaghetti noodles and carried our plates into his kitchen.

"I love the sight of a woman in my kitchen," he joked as he watched me rinse the tableware. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, turning around to face him.

"Oh really?" I began. "That's your move, luring innocent women into your house for a comatose amount of pasta and making them your kitchen slaves?"

Edwards grin turned sly at my words. "I wouldn't exactly call you that innocent. Besides, kitchen slaves aren't really my thing. I like them somewhere else." He winked at me, a hot flash striking me, thinking about his statement.

-WOP-

I kicked off my boots and huddled over to where Edward sat on the couch. It was only after eight, so we decided to game a little. While the Playstation was booting up, we looked through his drawer of games and opted for a multiple-player shooter game.

It was a great choice, because I was really good at those games and Edwards cussing turned the whole war-thing into a comedy.

"How the _fuck_ are you this _fucking good_?" His glasses had slid down his nose as he furrowed his brows in pure concentration.

I looked at him and shrugged. "My dad's a cop, and I was curious. I grew up on Call of Duty."

"A cop? Well I guess you'll have to tutor me later." He let out a laugh and I was amused at the way he handled me being better at this than him.

I caught him looking at me a few times while gaming, and he sneaked a few kisses onto my shoulder and neck while we waited for the next round to load.

"Edward," my voice broke through the sounds of gunshots and our shouting at our lousy teammates. He turned his head without caring he was still in the game and got shot by our enemy.

"You do realize it's midnight, right?"

The living room had gone pitch black, except for the big TV screen that lit up our faces. His brows shot up and he cracked his fingers.

"That always happens when I play online, I'm sorry," he said, sighing.

"What is it?" I said and put down his spare controller onto the coffee table.

"I feel like I wasted the entire evening with you now, please stay?" he asked me, his voice soft as his eyes pleaded me not to go home just yet.

I bit my lip. Staying would inevitably turn this into a sleepover. If I was being honest with myself, I knew I'd like that but I also didn't want to disappoint Edward by walking away from this glorious evening. So no matter how I turned it over in my head, the answer would be yes. Although I didn't want to be too bold.

"I don't have any clothes for bed," I said, noticing Edward got a smile on his face again.

"You can borrow some if you want to stay the night?" It sounded more like a question. We both sounded like we needed reassurance this date was going well. It was going amazing, actually, not at all like this was the first time we'd spent time together.

I doubted I was going to wear them to actually sleep in, but taking off this dress and getting comfortable sounded like a dream to me.

He ran off, putting on a few lights in the living room before disappearing into what I assumed was his bedroom. When he returned, he gave me a pile of clothes and showed me to his bathroom.

"They'll be too big on you, but you'll rock it anyway with your beautiful body." He actually winked at me and I rose to my tiptoes, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. It was a soft, sweet kiss. I genuinely felt so happy right now.

When he gave me some privacy, I went over my options. The lingerie seemed like too much to keep on since we were going to lounge around to watch a movie. I picked up the T-shirt he'd given me, pulled off my bra and looked in the mirror. The light in the bathroom was brighter than it was in the living room, so my nipples wouldn't be too noticeable. Even though he meant well, I think my gentleman knew very well he'd given me a very, _very _thin black shirt. The barbells in my nipples strained the fabric and I wondered if he'd notice I put those back in. I'd gotten my nipples pierced on my twenty-third birthday but unfortunately for me, Jacob ended up hating them so I took them out. When I broke it off for good, I was so happy the holes hadn't fully closed so I could wear them again. For me. _Maybe a little to surprise Edward too,_ as Alice had told me to wrap myself up in things he hadn't seen before.

I didn't bother with the pants since they were far too long and big on me. The shirt covered my ass and a fair part of my upper thighs anyway, so it was modest enough.

I splashed some water on my face and found a tube of men's cleansing gel as I attempted to take off my makeup. When I was done, I felt vulnerable and naked, but didn't really care.

"Did you just get dressed up, or down?" Edward asked me, coming out of his bedroom wearing nothing but a pair of navy sweats that hung low on his hips, a V-shape descending into the pants. I had to tear my eyes away from his broad, muscled yet lean chest and abdomen to smile up at him. I could feel his gaze roaming my body, halting once he had traced up the length of my legs to the hem of the shirt, over my breasts and then my face.

"What?" I asked, not used to someone staring at me this way.

"You have freckles." His fingers went up to touch my cheekbones and nose. "I love them," he mused as my face heated up under his touch.

He took my hand and led me over to the couch, sat down and told me to do the same. Somewhere between picking a movie and laughing at our indecisiveness, we opted for a comedy. My body melted into his as he put his arm around my shoulders and I rested my head against his chest. His heart was thumping rapidly and his hands caressed my side absentmindedly. I just couldn't wait to touch him anymore, so I ran my hand over his chest and abdomen and heard his breath hitch in response. My lips found the hollow of Edward's throat, placing a trail of kisses. I worked my way up, kissing along his jawline until he grabbed my chin gently and closed the distance between us. The kiss started out gentle, but I needed him even closer to me, pushing my body flush to his and straddling his waist. _We'd better not get interrupted again._

He licked my bottom lip and I let out a breathy moan when our tongues met. I could feel his erection against me again, and I cursed the fabric between us. Edward's hands traveled under my borrowed shirt, no longer a gentleman, and he groaned as he cupped my breasts.

"I don't think these were there before," he whispered huskily, flicking the silver barbells in my nipples, the sensation nearly making me flinch of pleasure.

"I didn't think your tits could get any better, but I'm glad you've proven me wrong." He kissed my neck, nipping the sensitive skin below my ear.

"If you like them so much, maybe you should get one as well," I joked. My laughter turned into a gasp when Edward ground up into me, his sweats-clad cock straining against my clit. This man was a first-class tease and judging by the smirk on his face, he knew that very well.

"Take off the shirt," he demanded in a rough whisper. My hands pulled the soft fabric over my head in record-speed and threw it somewhere behind me.

_Yes, please._

Edward held me as he maneuvered us on the couch, laying me down on my back and crawling on top of me. He kissed along my neck and shoulders, down the valley between my breasts and looked me dead in the eye as his tongue swirled around my right nipple.

_Fuck. Me. Now._

"Patience, baby." His hot breath fanned over my belly as he kissed me all over, stopping at the fabric of my panties. He was making me lose control over myself, because apparently I'd said that out loud.

"God, you're so perfect," Edward whispered to me, his fingers tracing my lips before he kissed me again. I clung to him, throwing my legs around him and fisting his hair. He rocked his hips into mine, he was _so _hard and still wearing those _fucking_ sweatpants.

"You want me to stop?" he asked suddenly, breaking away from our embrace. My eyes grew wide as I saw the uncertainty in his eyes; they were a darker shade of green now, enticing me.

"Are you crazy? No, I want you, Edward," I said, my voice raspy and out of breath from making-out like two hormonal teenagers.

I wanted to pout and get him back onto the couch, but instead he took my hands and pulled me up as well. My chest crashed into his, the feeling of his bare skin on mine electrifying.

Edward led me to the door I'd seen him enter before. His bedroom. The sphere-light on his dresser along with the moon cast a hue onto the walls. I didn't care about his room right now, though, all I cared about was the man in front of me as he turned me around and kissed me again while he guided me down onto his incredibly fluffy, olive green bedding.

"Please, I need to feel you for real this time. Fuck me, I'm begging you," I whimpered when he pressed a kiss onto my center, my panties still in place.

I didn't have to ask again, because suddenly my underwear was gone, as were his pants, and he'd turned me onto my side. The rip of a condom wrapper broke our little moment.

_Finally._

I could feel Edward's warm body against my back, his hand tracing the tattoo on my leg and resting on my ass, massaging it gently before I felt his length glide into my wet folds.

"Fuck," he groaned as I felt his cock inch into me slowly, too slowly.

"You feel so good, Isabella, so hot," he grunted, moving faster. This was worth waiting for, I had no words. I felt bad for his neighbors, because I couldn't seem to keep my noises to a minimum.

This was no sweet first time as he moved hard and fast. His hand slid up the side of my body, taking a hold of my leg and lifting it over his. I hooked it around him and this new angle made me see stars with every thrust, Edward gripping my thigh tightly.

"Edward," I sighed, and turned my head back so I could look into his eyes. He looked so fantastic with his lips parted, eyes almost shut.

I took the hand that held my thigh and guided him down to my clit, needing the friction to get my release.

He took the hint right away, kissing my neck while his fingers drew circles, bringing me closer to my orgasm.

My heartbeat skyrocketed fast as my release was building. Edward moved his fingers faster and his hips slammed into me hard with a steady rhythm.

"I can't hold on much longer, baby. Your pussy is just so _fucking_ good; you're so tight," he groaned into my ear. I loved his dirty talk. My breathing turned into moaning as I climaxed, profanities escaping my mouth. This sex, and this man, left me utterly breathless. I could tell Edward's orgasm wasn't far behind. His movements got less controlled, he grew rougher and held me down harder. To be honest, that was making me horny again, and I had just had an earth-shattering orgasm.

"Fuck," he uttered, dropping himself onto the bed beside me where we both lay, panting like we'd run a marathon.

"Yeah," I somehow replied,covering myself with the blankets. My legs felt like jelly.

We lay in bed, my head in the crook of his arm. Edward took off his glasses and turned off the light after kissing me one more time.

"Thanks for staying," he mumbled against my lips.

_No, thank you._

* * *

**A/N **

For the people who reviewed last chapter & put on the alerts:** I LOVE YOU**! I'm a big of a feedback whore, as **brighteyes87** says. If you're looking for something to read you'll need to check out her stories. I'm addicted to her 'You Found Me' since yesterday, she's a really good writer and you feel like you're in the middle of the story as you read it. You have to -HAVE TO read White Noise by **hotteaforme. **Kate probably doesn't read my fics, but I read hers religiously. She makes the most beautiful moodboards! The story is so good, as are her characters and her writing!


	10. Charmer Extraordinaire

**A/N: Thanks so, so much for maniacalmuse. You're wonderful and I couldn't do this without you. Also, thanks for the reviewers. I love you all :D **

**Enjoy! **

**Chapter 10: Charmer Extraordinaire **

I woke up, sunlight coating the walls of Edward's bedroom a warm shade of yellow. When I turned around, facing the dreamy man beside me, his green eyes met mine with a smile. He propped his pillow up against the headboard, his hair a bigger mess than I'd seen before.

"Good morning." His voice was raspy with sleep but his eyes were wide awake.

I stretched my legs, untangling them from the sheets.

"Morning, handsome," I breathed and pressed a soft kiss onto his plump lips.

His hand reached for mine, entwining our fingers and his thumb caressing the back of my hand. Sweet Edward was back.

"Did you sleep okay?" he asked, looking down at me while I nodded.

"How could I not?" I said to him, unable to contain my smile as Edward suddenly appeared a little shy.

_He'__s too cute._

"I'm so glad you wanted to stay," he uttered and kissed our joined hands. I hummed in response.

"Let me make you some breakfast, meet me in the kitchen in about ten minutes."

He sat up on the bed, releasing my hand, and I already missed his touch. When he got off the mattress, I got treated with the fantastic view of his bare ass and back until he reached for a drawer, first putting on a pair of boxers and then his sweatpants that were strewn across the floor.

I let out a deep sigh. Last night had me feeling things I'd never experienced before. The way Edward had kissed me, the way we could so easily be ourselves made me rethink my entire past. I had never been in love before, not real love. I could tell, because when I thought I was in love, it never felt anything like it had with Edward, not even the sex. Looking back, it seemed dull and gray, a poor shadow of my time with my Warrior. My head made me rationalize, because there was no way I could fall in love that easily, but if we kept seeing each other I might be in for some real trouble because of this man.

Looking at the digital alarm clock on Edward's nightstand, I noticed it was just after nine. I hadn't had a lot of sleep but I felt fit as a fiddle. My eyes roamed the room with its white walls and dark curtains along the window. This was one of those rooms that felt lived in. Edward had a pile of comics and dog-eared books thrown on top of his dresser, some folded T-shirts and jeans ready to be put away in his closet, and his laptop along with its cords and charger next to his alarm clock. It was cluttered, but not at all messy. He also had a few prints framed on the walls here, bright colors complementing the otherwise monochromatic theme.

I didn't want to lay around here all alone anymore, so I got out of bed and searched for the shirt I'd worn last night. I also found the pair of sweats Edward had given me when I went to the bathroom. As I washed my hands, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My skin looked slightly flushed and my eyes bright. Mix that with the way my dark tresses were knotted and all over the place and it was clear that I had in fact, had a _very _good night. I tried to tame my hair a little with my hands and walked out, following the gratifying smell of fresh coffee.

I leaned against the wall, relishing the sight of Edward busying himself with a toaster and frying pan. He noticed me when he took a spatula out of the drawer next to his fridge and smiled at me.

"You look absolutely adorable," he said, motioning to the sweatpants I had to roll up several times so I wouldn't trip myself to death.

"Not everyone can have legs like yours, Edward," I joked at him, peering over to the stove.

"I'm glad, yours look much better." He winked at me and pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose with the back of his hand.

I rolled my eyes at his cheesy remark and stepped closer to him, sliding my arms around his neck to give him a hug.

"Sit, I have coffee ready for you." He gave me the sweetest kiss before releasing himself from my embrace.

"Well, a warrior who cooks me breakfast. Where do I sign?" I declared and sat down at his breakfast bar.

His crooked smile made my heart skip a beat when he put a big mug of coffee in front of me, as well as a plate. Edward had made me eggs on toast, and looked at me funny when I asked him for extra pepper, seasoning my toast royally.

"What? It's better than extra salt." I shrugged as he shook his head at me.

We ate our breakfast together, and I swore eggs never, ever tasted this good.

"So, are we still on for this afternoon?" he asked me, licking the side of his knife.

Right, we were supposed to have our first date today at his brother's café. The thought of leaving this little bubble wasn't a pleasant one, but I was human after all so I could do with a shower and change of clothes. It would still be a first: the first time we were outside together in the real world.

"I'd like that, yeah," I responded as I finished the last of my coffee. "But I do need some clothes, so I'll have to go home to change and slap my face on again."

Edward actually pouted and threw me some puppy-dog eyes, making me swoon over his boyish charm.

"Can I offer you a nice, _hot_ shower, my Enchantress?" He stood up and picked up our plates to go put them in the dishwasher. He took my hands like a chivalrous knight when I agreed, and made me giggle when he led me to the bathroom.

"Are you one of those demons who bathe in ridiculously hot water?" he asked me when he turned on the shower.

I arched a brow at him, crossing my arms in front of my chest. "It's not my fault men are total wussies when it comes to temperature," I said.

"Well, Isabella," he began, fiddling with the drawstring on the sweats I was wearing. "With a woman as hot as you, who needs warm water? You'll fog up the glass just by standing in the stall," he whispered, his lips so close to my ear I could feel the warmth of his breath.

_Charmer__._

"Flatter me even more and I might never leave this apartment, you know." His eyes shot up to mine and he put his glasses on the countertop.

"Okay." He nuzzled my neck, prying the clothes off my body, kissing my shoulder as he let the sweats I had been wearing drop to the floor.

"Enjoying yourself?" I asked coyly, staring at the _very_ obvious erection in his pants. He answered by kissing me, hands cupping my face and pulling me closer, my nipples growing hard against his bare chest.

"You're going to run out of water." I broke our kiss and walked around him, putting my hair up in a ponytail with the spare elastic on my wrist.

Edward stepped out of his boxers and sweatpants and joined me in the shower, holding the shower head hostage as he wet his hair.

"Well aren't you a dear, hogging all the water," I huffed as I watched the water make its way down his hair, suddenly smooth and pushed back out of his face. I didn't care that I wasn't getting access to the stream of droplets, as long as I got to watch him. He looked like he was in a body wash commercial, the water running down his muscular frame and making him glisten. My eyes travelled down to his rather impressive erection and I bit my lip.

"Enjoying yourself?" he threw back at me, stepping away from the shower head and splashing me with a handful of water. Edward was so playful, yet so incredibly sexy.

"I am actually," I purred and let my hands wander down the front of his body, gripping his cock in my hand. He let out a groan as I pumped up and down his length slowly, his sounds awakening my inner sex-kitten from her little slumber.

"Oh Isabella," his moan echoed in the shower stall, wildly turning me on. He grabbed my hand away, and then ran his palm along my back before he bent me over. I tried to hold on to the slippery black-and-white mosaic tiles as his one hand cupped my ass firmly while the other guided his cock inside me.

"Fuck," he exclaimed suddenly and stopped. I looked at him in confusion. "I don't have a condom," he sighed.

Truth be told, I couldn't be bothered with one since I was on the pill and I figured Edward was cleanbut I didn't want to throw all my inhibitions out the window just yet. So instead of saying I didn't care, I turned around and pressed a wet kiss onto his lips and then sank to my knees.

"Baby, you don't—" His sentence died right there as I ran my tongue along the tip of his cock and slid him into my mouth.

I worked my way over his hardness, taking him in all the way. Edward's breathing became faster as I felt him hit the back of my throat. His hand reached into my ponytail, gripping it tightly while I moaned at the sensation.

I enjoyed giving head. It made me feel in control, the feeling of being responsible for the guy's pleasure leaving me exhilarated. I put my hand back on the base of his cock and moved it in sync with my mouth, my tongue swirling around the tip.

"Fuck, your mouth feels incredible," he panted and looked down at me. I met his gaze, slowing down my movements to tease him, but then he thrust his hips forward and I let out a muffled moan. Keeping me in place with his grip on my ponytail, he started moving to his own rhythm and I cupped his balls in my hand.

"I'm close, baby. Fuck, you're insane," he muttered, his voice low.

I felt his legs tense up, then his cock grew even harder and he tried to pull away, but I didn't let him. I looked up at him and arched a brow, a warning for him to just let me do this.

"I'm coming, fuck!" he grunted, his hold on my hair loosening as his orgasm overtook him. I swallowed proudly and got back to my feet, giving him a little wink before I splashed some water on my face.

"That was…" he shook his head. "Wow." He laughed, his eyes fiery as he began to lather me up, paying close attention to my boobs, running his thumbs along my hard, sensitive nipples before his hand slid between my legs.

"Seems like someone had a little fun as well," he murmured softly, his fingers running along my wetness.

"Feeling you come in my mouth makes me so wet, Warrior," I said, and threw my head back when two of his fingers entered my pussy, moving slowly in and out.

"Let me help you out with that, then." He kissed my exposed neck, before his tongue darted around my piercing, teasing my nipples with his mouth.

"Oh damn," I moaned loudly while his fingers skillfully played with my clit, and not long after that I could feel my body tingling with the warm and glorious buildup of my release. Edward gripped my nipple with his teeth, biting down gently, making me cry out with pleasure. My heart was racing, pounding out of my chest when he put more pressure onto my clit, making me come hard at his touch.

"Man," I sighed, my chest heaving as I came down from my climax. Edward smiled, satisfied with himself, and I rinsed the soap off my body.

We must have broken the world's longest shower record and upped his water bill, but I loved seeing him like this. He kissed my forehead as he draped a fluffy white towel around my body, gazing into my eyes with a look he hadn't given me before. Edward dried off his face and hair, put his glasses back on and walked into his room with the towel around his waist.

Shamefully, I put on my dress from last night, with no panties since I couldn't find them, and borrowed a pair of Edward's socks to wear in my boots.

"Do you have to go?" he asked me, his hair still damp from our shower.

I smiled at him. "I need some fresh clothes, Edward."

"Can I come pick you up?" he asked, putting his hands in the front pockets of his black jeans.

"I'd like that. I'll text you my address later." I grabbed my purse from where it was sitting next to his front door.

"You'll need your phone to do that, baby." He nodded toward his coffee table, where my phone was lying screen down.

_Shit__._

I picked it up and saw all my missed notifications. Rosalie had texted me, while Alice had called twice and left me a bunch Facebook messages, the last one reading: 'You better have a good reason for ignoring me!' I snorted at my friend's dramatic nature.

"Something wrong?" Edward asked me.

"No, but my friends have a way of needing to be in contact a certain amount of times a day. It seems they missed me a lot since I came down here." I laughed and stowed the phone away in my bag.

"That's totally understandable, but I'm glad I had you all to myself. Tell them I know how they feel," he said with his crooked smile.

"You're a total cheeseball," I said and walked over to him, putting my arms around his waist and nuzzling my face into his chest. He smelled amazing, like Edward.

"Thank you," I whispered and rose up on my tiptoes to kiss him.

"I'll miss you," he whispered back.

I walked to my car and looked over to his apartment building when I started the engine. There he was, dressed in black denim and a white T-shirt, smiling at me while he leaned against the doorpost.

_This was real, he was real._

**A/N: So? They're having a lot of fun together it seems *wink wink* **

**Let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions! I always reply to every review! **

**Rec'd: Also, go read Professionally Personal by DH78! It's really good. I finished it in one sitting, LOL. **

**I'll go back to my writing cave now. I plan on staying there for the better part of the next two days. Hurray for vacation and overtime recuperation :D**

**Friend me on Facebook (PearlyFox Fanfic). I leave teasers and moodboards around! **


	11. Offline Outing

**A/N: Hi lovelies! I'm back on a Saturday, which means it has been exactly one week since the last update. Is there any day in particular you like better than the other? If so, hmu in the messages or reviews. I always get back to you!**

**Check out the contests later! If you need a laugh, the Bothered Contest is right up your alley. I laughed my ass off. Also, if you have a weak spot for Inkward… Hop on to the Inked Contest. The stories are so lovely!**

**Thank-you-notes for my lovely, maniacalmuse, the lady who makes my stuff worth reading. I'm learning and slowly improving -that's good right? **

**Enjoy! xo**

Twilight does obviously not belong to me, I just love these two too much not to play with them.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Offline Outing**

When I got home, I walked into the kitchen, looking for my spare phone charger. I plugged it in and the device booted back up again, almost vibrating off of the counter because of all the notifications coming in.

I poured myself a glass of water, gazing out the window that mirrored my reflection. My hair was utter chaos and my cheeks held a ferocious blush still. They were all reminders of my night with Edward. My stomach fluttered at the thought of him but my musings got interrupted by yet another harsh tremble, caused by my phone.

"Hi Alice," I greeted my friend, who sighed audibly and dramatically on the other end of the line.

"My God, Bella!" I chuckled at her distressed voice; keeping her in the dark about my night and morning made me feel a little bad. "Where the fuck have you been? Rose and I were worried sick!"

"Calm down, matriarch. I'm totally fine," I said, and kicked off my boots.

"So? Don't you have anything to tell me, Bella?" Alice's tone made it clear she expected a report from me.

"I saw him last night," I said softly as I heard her take in a sharp breath.

"Oh sweetheart, you better not be kidding me right now. Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"Because, my darling Alice, I just got home." I could hear a little squeal, followed by Jasper's voice in the background asking her what was wrong. She shushed him loudly and returned to our conversation.

"Tell. Me. Everything," she demanded and I laughed at her feistiness.

"He's wonderful, Alice," I sighed. "He's such a gentleman, and so fucking heartbreakingly handsome. It felt so natural, like he's always been there."

"Was he _good?_" she asked, clearly wanting to know every detail of my encounter. I was used to discussing my sex life with her, although now, when it felt like much more than just sex, I felt a little awkward.

_Fuck this, she's going to drag it out of me anyway._

"Good doesn't even begin to cover it." I smiled as I told her about his sweltering kisses and steamy touches, while he still remained a perfect gentleman. Alice giggled at the cockblocking delivery guy. She also told me our mutual dorkiness must've made baby Bella combust with happiness.

"I take it the man didn't need any _directions_?" she said slyly.

"Hell no. I didn't even have to lift a finger, if you know what I mean," I said, the sex-kitten somersaulting around my body.

"You're so reserved about this Warrior-guy, Bells. What are you not telling me?" Alice urged. She seemed to always know what went on in my head. "Do you like him?"

"I like him. Too much. It's too soon for that." I sighed deeply, wishing Alice was here with me in my kitchen.

"Bella," she muttered, her voice soft. "I loved Jasper the moment he first spoke to me, and that was asking directions to the nearest gas station." I smiled at the sweet memory of their first meeting.

"It's too soon, Alice," I repeated, not wanting to upset myself with the probability that Edward didn't feel the same way. Last night and this morning was _fun_, and nothing more.

"Don't say that, I told you that you deserve this. Don't think so damn much and just enjoy it," she pleaded. I remember back when Jasper showed up for dinner with Rose and me once, and then much more frequently until Alice Brandon became Alice Whitlock and they never were apart again. It wasn't easy for them, both coming from a broken, fucked-up family and their fair share of demons. Although she never lost faith in Jasper or his heart, not even when he got scared and almost ran from her all-but-smothering love. She was right, I did think too much. I should put my brains on a shelf when it involved Edward and just bolt to where my heart desired to be.

_With him._

"I need to meet this creature, Bella. I have to see this guy, see what you're like with him," she insisted.

"Alice, hold your horses, we've been on one date," I told her. The fact that she wanted to analyze my behaviour annoying me a little.

"One date? You slept over, had glorious sex and you didn't sprint away after, staying for breakfast. That's no date for Isabella Swan, trust me. That's fate." I snorted at her melodramatic sassiness.

"I have to tell you something else as well," I started and explained the guy Rose had her eyes on was actually Edward's older brother, Emmett. Alice's excitement over the entire situation made me roll my eyes as she kept going on about kismet, destiny and all of her other fancy, love-struck superstitions.

"She came over last night, dressed to the nines and wearing that red lipstick she always used to wear when she was on a mission to seduce a guy. She told me all about the hunk that was Emmett Cullen. I swear, I almost vomited at the little twinkle in her eyes. Puppies don't have anything on Rosalie when she's getting involved with a man." I imagined Rose and the way Alice must've felt when she swooned over her new conquest, probably telling Alice that she didn't even like him.

"An infatuated Rose is a scary thing, I agree," I laughed.

"And it was the same old song again, she hated _this _and _that _and didn't need a man. She's happy with her life right now, single and uncomplicated, blah, blah. All the while not being able to shut up about him," Alice told me.

"Edward told me his brother isn't used to wooing a woman. I told him Emmett would need to train his skills if he wanted to be able to _ever _go on a date with Rosalie Hale."

"Well, they might be exactly right for each other then," Alice swooned.

_Cupid's at it again_

I said goodbye to Alice, mentioning my date later today in the bistro. She was thrilled to hear that it was still on, telling me it was a sign he had as much of a good time as I had.

It was a little after two when I pulled myself together. I washed my face, applied my usual makeup and managed to tame my hair with a straightener. A change of clothes came next, opting for my best pair of black skinny jeans and a matching oversized V-neck linen T-shirt.

Passing my work tote, I spotted Jane Volturi's manuscript and decided to kill time flipping through it. I chewed my pen in between making notes and reading some passages aloud. The book was good, but her writing was all over the place. It was clear to me the girl had talent and I couldn't wait to show Victoria what I did with it so far.

My enticing breakfast seemed to have worn off and I started to feel a little hungry. Munching on some baby carrots, I checked my phone for the first time after calling Alice.

**Warrior: Did you get home safely? **I smiled at the unread text message. I'd totally flaked on letting Edward know when I got home.

**Sorry, meant to text you earlier but my friend called. Do we have to go in public today? I'd much rather have you here, do all sorts of things to you... **

I bit my lip waiting for his response and threw the container of carrots back into my fridge.

**Warrior: Baby, I'll break you if we keep up like this.**

**Try me ;)**

I smiled at my phone, jubilant with his playfulness, confident we had a mutual good feeling about last night.

******WOP******

At 3:45 my doorbell announced the presence of Edward Cullen in my hallway. I finished tying the laces of my Vans sneakers and opened the door.

"Hi," I breathed as I took in his alluring appearance. He was still wearing the jeans and shirt from this morning and wore a leather jacket over it, along with some Ray Ban sunglasses, looking like some kind of poster-boy. Edward took off his sunglasses and tucked them into the front pocket of his T-shirt. He didn't answer me but put an arm around my waist, pulling me closer for a soft kiss. It lasted longer than a chaste one, yet it was so sweet and gentle — loving, almost.

"Hey there," he finally said and let go of me. His eyes seemed even greener without his usual glasses; they sparkled when he shot me a smile.

"I like you in glasses, but this is something else." I winked at him and his loud laugh echoed through my hallway.

"Taking you on a proper date involved me probing my eyeballs for about fifteen minutes. Don't get used to this, I'm much too lazy to wear contacts on a day-to-day basis," he joked as I invited him inside my apartment.

It seemed odd to have Edward stand in my little sanctuary. The only guy I'd ever had over was Jacob and I seemed to like seeing Edward here a little too much. He looked around my belongings, his eyes halting on my desk where the notebook and manuscript lay messily.

"Are you working? Because we could do this another time if you're busy," he started but I shook my head before he could even finish that sentence.

"No way, you just told me you were taking me on a date. Work can wait," I said as I caught him staring at my cleavage.

"Isabella, you look absolutely captivating," he said, pulling his green eyes back up to meet mine, smiling. He walked over and grabbed my hands.

"I need to take you on a date. A real one, and I promise to behave this time," he said softly and pressed a kiss on the back of my hand, making my stomach flutter.

"On one condition," I started, gaining his attention.

"Yes Enchantress?" he said, amused.

"You can be a gentleman now, as long as you promise to — what did you call it, break me later?" I said sweetly.

"Oh, baby," he laughed and ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "You're something else."

I had to look away from his intense gaze, imagining the things he could Edward could be doing to me later.

_I'm a total lunatic._

I locked up behind me after taking my bag and shrugging on a denim jacket. As we walked over to the elevator, Edward took my hand, entwining our fingers.

He looked at me like he wanted to see if it was okay, but I just let my eyes fall to our joined hands where my thumb caressed the back of his palm. Edward felt warm, comfortable, and every touch we shared weakened my poor heart in his favor. I was falling for a man I've known for such a little time and it scared me shitless.

The air inside of the elevator was hot because of the lack of air conditioning. It made me feel short of breath and clammy.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked kindly as he pushed the ground floor button, setting us in motion.

I nodded, "It's just hot in here. I prefer the stairs in summer."

"Elevators are much better for multitasking," he said, pulling me flush against him. "Such as kissing and moving downstairs at the same time. Can't do that on a staircase." He cocked an eyebrow, his remark making me laugh out loud.

"Come on then, take my mind off of this musty box." The hand in which he held my own snaked around my back, pinning my arm behind me as he brought his face closer. His lips met mine, soft and gentle for a long chaste kiss. I smiled against his mouth when the 'ding' alerted me that we had arrived downstairs.

"You're right, Warrior. I like the elevator a little more now." I winked, pulling him out of the elevator shaft behind me.

"Tell me more about your brother," I said as Edward led me to where he'd parked his car.

"All in due time, baby. I want you to know all of _me _first, before I aggravate you with the tales of Emmett Cullen," he joked and stopped in front of an impressive, all-black Lexus SUV. I turned to look at him, my eyes wide.

"Wow, impressive. What a _beast_." I nodded at the car in front of us, my eyes roaming the exquisite black rims and dark, tinted windows as the paint glistened in the afternoon sun. His smile was a cute one as he chuckled. "That's what she said." I bumped his chest with my fist, laughing.

"That's right, but the car is nice too," I said as he pushed the fob to unlock it.

By the clean, neutral smell of the vehicle I could tell he probably hadn't owned it for a long time, the feeling of the luxurious black leather seats making me want to take a nap in them.

Edward started the car, engine roaring to life and we made our way to his brother's café surrounded by the tunes of Island in the Sun by Weezer. I smiled at the upbeat, relaxing song and reminded myself I had to check out Edward's records collection sometime.

_Like there was something else I had to love about him._

It was strange to me when we walked into Cullenary Garden together. I'd only just been there, my mind rattling over the stupidities I engaged in on Friday night and unsure of my evolving feelings for the handsome man beside me. Now that we were here, I felt grateful for the night we'd spent together and our growing bond.

"Let's sit outside, the weather is perfect," Edward said as he walked over to a small, round table next to the entrance of the bistro. Seeing as it was Sunday, the place was almost fully packed with customers enjoying afternoon tea or a delicious looking pastry.

I sat down next to him rather than across, wiggling out of my denim jacket and enjoying the warm sunlight on my skin.

Edward pulled his phone out of his jeans' pocket, fingers tapping away on the screen before putting it down on the table.

"Didn't you say you spent Sundays with your family?" I asked him, my eyes scanning the menu.

"Usually, yes. But I texted my mom earlier and said I wasn't feeling so well. There was no way they would let me sit there and stare at my watch, waiting to come pick you up, and not lecture me about table manners," he said, rolling his eyes.

_He has to stop being this cute, it's not good for my heart._

"Well, I'm sorry for hogging you, though."

He threw his arm around me, resting it on the back of my chair and kissing my temple. "Don't be. I'll take coffee with you over watching my brother chew _any _day."

"Hey, Edward," a brown-haired, tall man appeared at our table. The black polo shirt he was wearing was embossed with the graceful 'CG' logo, telling me he was one of Edwards brother's employees.

"Garrett, hi. How are you?" Edward greeted him as the man shifted his gaze from Edward to me and back, a smile playing at his lips.

"I'm good. We're packed but it makes the hours go by even faster." He shrugged. "How are _you _doing?" he asked, clearly hinting at my reason for being here when his eyes continues to flutter from my face to Edward's.

"Great actually." Edward smiled, his fingers casually brushing along the sleeve of my T-shirt.

"Good to hear, did you guys want to order?" he asked us, taking a notepad out of the back pocket of his pants. I was a little bummed Edward didn't introduce me to this guy. Then it came to me that I had no clue what this was, what we were. Was he my boyfriend? Were we casually dating? Or were we just friends who had spent the night together? I had been in every one of those relationships before, and I couldn't pinpoint exactly how it felt. Edward left me clueless, with his cute persona and sexy kisses.

Edward ordered us both a slice of chocolate cake with whipped chocolate buttercream along with two coffees. When it arrived at our table, I almost drooled on to my plate. The cake tasted wonderful and Edward told me his brother Emmett used old family recipes for almost every dish on their menu.

"So, where did he get the cooking genes from? Your mother?" I asked, chomping down a less-than-graceful amount of cake.

Edward nodded, sipping from his coffee. He drank it black like I did, but added a sugar.

"Mom is well known for her mind-numbingly good food. She barely uses a cookbook, kinda wings it all the time. She makes it taste like an award-winning meal," he said. "It's stress relief for her, she pulled Emmett into it because of his anger-issues in high school. It worked; cooking seems to calm him down." Edward took a bite of cake as well.

"If I ate this kind of food every day, I'd be one calm, slightly-overweight happy person," I giggled.

"Oh, well, Emmett's at the gym daily. As am I. Dad's always on our case about our cholesterol levels and overall health, he can't help himself." Edward shook his head, laughing. "Dad's in Medicine. He's a cardiologist and also teaches at Chicago University. He's pretty much seen too much of what good food can do in a bad way. But my mom manages to keep his nagging to an absolute minimum. I blame the ever-lingering infatuation he has for her"

A highly successful family, so it seemed. I already felt myself flinch, my family tree looking like a rotting bonsai compared to his deep-rooted oak.

"Tell me about your family, please. I'd really like to hear more," Edward urged me on.

I sighed, took a big swig of my coffee, and cradled my mug.

"Dad's in Washington, he's been the Chief of Police in Clark County for as long as I can remember. I was on my own a lot, living with him. That was kind of the reason I got into gaming and writing. It made me feel less alone and kept me busy on the weekends when I didn't have homework. My mom is living her best life over in Phoenix, enjoying her one-true-family," I trailed off, hating the feeling I got every time it involved talking about my mother.

"Yeah," Edward sighed, raking a hand through his hair, his expression apologetic. "You did mention a stepsister. She's getting married?" he asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, she is. We're only three years apart, but I do think she's getting married ridiculously young to a guy she barely knows." I shook my head as I remembered meeting Bree's fiancé last weekend. My mother made me get on a plane to Phoenix for the wedding shower. I only stayed one night, making the visit as short as I possibly could. Bree was going to marry Diego Tanner, five years her senior. Diego was one of my stepfather's favorite boys on the baseball team he coached. They had met only seven months prior to him proposing, but my mother seemed to love it anyway. I told Edward about the shower, about Bree's obnoxious posse of air-headed socialites and about my neurotic mother who seemed to care only about what her little Bree wanted. She was her favorite daughter, after all.

Edward rolled his eyes when I told him Bree had asked me to be a part of the wedding. Because since she barely got to see me, she thought it would be an 'epic bonding moment.'

"So you got tricked into being a bridesmaid?" he asked me, finishing up his cake.

"If only I could get out of that charade." I sighed dramatically. "But I only have about three months until the wedding, so I'm screwed. Might fake a serious injury or something, though." I laughed.

"Well, you could give your mother a run for her money if you show up with your new editor's job? Maybe throw in a male companion and she could swoon all over her Isabella," Edward said, playing with his napkin, avoiding looking at me. "You'd have a shoulder to either cry on or punch in between bitching, and a way to relieve your tension when the night ends."

I didn't know what to say, really. This came so out of nowhere. "Are you saying you want to go to this wedding with me?" I asked him, shocked. Theoretically, we'd only been on two dates if I added last night and right now separately. I didn't get why a guy like him would commit to such a tedious, very family-oriented event. Most guys I met never said a word about meeting families or friends since none of that was remotely casual.

"I'd love to help you out; I can tell it's a touchy subject. And I don't like to see that frown on your face, baby," he said. I'm pretty sure my heart skipped a beat at his sweet, simple explanation.

I smiled up at him, hating the fact that I couldn't see his eyes behind the dark sunglasses he was wearing.

"Never mind, forget I said anything," he muttered when I didn't reply.

"No, no! Sorry," I started, "I just didn't realize that was something you'd be willing to do, that's all." His smile was back and I reached out for his glasses, pulling them down his nose so I could see into the green orbs hiding behind them.

"I don't like talking to you when you wear those," I said. "I like your eyes too much." Edward took them off, laying them on top of his phone on the table.

"You do realize we are in Los Angeles, right? It's important to protect your eyes from the sun, Isabella," he lectured me while I arched a brow.

"Oh, you're such a dork," I joked.

******WOP******

I started to feel slightly chilly, only noticing we'd been here for hours when Garrett came to collect our empty cups for the fourth time.

"I have to use the bathroom," I announced. My butt felt numb from sitting down for that extended period of time and after all the coffee I'd consumed, my bladder was in desperate need of some relief.

When I got back outside, Edward seemed to be talking to Garrett and smiled when he gave him his credit card to pay the check.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" I asked as Garrett gave him the receipt.

"I'm doing what gentlemen do on dates, Isabella. I'm paying the check," he said, stuffing his wallet into his back pocket. Our waiter looked at me, amused.

"You better have told your brother, or I'll beat you to it," he said to Edward, nodding his head in my direction.

"Oh, you're such a snitch." Edward laughed and stood up, handing me my jacket.

"I'll tell him myself, alright? Just not yet. This was only our second date," he confessed.

"And third, because I'm hungry again and I', taking you out for dinner," I said as Edward raised his brows in surprise. Food wasn't really on my mind, but I thought maybe when I interrupted their conversation, Edward would introduce me and clear up the fuzziness in my brain. Unfortunately, I had no luck with that.

"Well, looks like your lady is not playing around, Cullen," Garrett said and I shot him a smile.

_Your lady. _I liked the sound of that.

"See you around, Garrett. Give my best to Kate."

"Are you really hungry? I can barely breathe from all the cake we've had," Edward said, clutching his belly dramatically.

"Not for food," I whispered seductively as we sat back in his car.

"Baby, you're really something else." He bit his lip and reached out to the radio, turning the music down.

"You know, I never liked being called 'baby'. But somehow I cannot hear you say it enough." I glanced over at his hands fiddling with the car's sound system settings.

"I must be kind of special then." He looked at me, wiggling his brows.

"You have no idea," I sighed and looked out the window as he put the car in first gear. He drove a manual transmission, impressive since I hadn't been able to figure that out just yet.

We got to my building and I felt sad to let Edward go. I knew that having another night like we had would be out of the question, since we both had to get to work on time in the morning. I didn't want Edward to jeopardize his job because I couldn't control the demon sex-kitten in my pants. Besides, maybe going back to my normal pre-Warrior routine could help me figure this out.

_Or maybe that could wait for a couple more hours…_

"You could come in for a bit, you know. Watch some TV?" I asked him, hopeful.

He frowned and checked the time; it was after eight by the time he pulled up to my place.

"I can't be out too late, I'm sorry. I have the gym early in the morning and a big meeting for an upcoming project at work," he said, clearly disappointed himself.

"Okay." I smiled at him weakly. I had to wave my new addiction goodbye for the night.

"Come here." His hand reached out to the back of my neck, pulling me in for a kiss. He hadn't made a single attempt at kissing me since the elevator, and it was killing me. The kiss wasn't as gentleman-like as he sought to be today, but needy and heated. He kept his grip in place, trying to get me as close as the center console would allow as my hand rested on the top of his thigh. I whimpered when his teeth nipped my bottom lip and his tongue met mine.

I kissed him back eagerly, wishing I could just climb on top of him and give him something to think about later, but reminding myself that it wasn't fully dark out and we weren't exactly parked in a secluded area. I could hear a breathy moan escape his mouth when I grasped his thigh a little harder and a little higher, feeling the outline of his hardening length.

Edward broke away from our embrace, resting his head against the back of his seat, eyes closed. "I suppose I could stay a little while," he said, his voice low. My smile was wide; I was getting some more time with my Warrior. _Alone again. In my apartment. On my couch._

"You really have a nice place, I like it." Edward said once I closed the door and put on some lamps.

"Thank you, yours is so much better though. I love that you're on the ground floor, you even have a little garden." He shrugged a little, and stood there looking awkward. The mood seemed to have changed somewhere between making out like two horny teens in his car and us walking up to my doorstep.

"What's wrong, Edward?" I asked him, pouring us some sparkling water.

"I ... uh, I'm scared I'm giving you the wrong impression, Isabella." He walked over to the couch and sat down, still wearing his leather jacket. His elbows rested on top of his thighs as he cradled his head, tugging at the back of his neck.

_Uh oh. See, you and your fucking heart ruin everything. Stop hoping this can be anything more than it had been last night._

I cleared my throat. "What do you mean?" I asked softly, preparing myself and my brittle little heart for the wreckage of his words.

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**A/N: In with the cliffy! I wonder what Edward has to say to his Enchantress?**

**Let me know what you think in the reviews, I love getting them ;)**

**Rec of the day: You Found Me by brighteyes87. Leave her some love, tell her it's coming from me ;D **

**Until the next update!**


	12. Advanced Adoration

**A/N** To the ladies of The Lemonade Stand: thank you so much for adding this story to the weekly reading list!

To everyone who reviewed: big thanks you!

And _maniacalmuse _has my heart, she makes my writing look so pretty!

Twilight is not mine, this plot is.

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**Chapter 12 : Advanced Adoration**

My heart was hammering as I went over our time together in my head, searching for instances where I might have gone too far, finding none. All the things we'd done that could mean things were a little more than casual, he'd initiated. I wondered if maybe that was it: that I wasn't showing him how much I liked him, that I hadn't given him enough affection.

I sighed deeply and walked over to where he was sitting, still cradling his head in his hands, his eyes glued to the hardwood floor.

"I want you to know that this is more to me than just sex," he started, and a weight lifted off my chest; I was able to breathe again. "I know we kind of started things the unconventional way, but I like you, Isabella. I've wanted more from you since the second we first kissed." His voice was soft, uncertain even. He still hadn't looked me in the eye. "So," he went on as I waited silently, "I'm sorry if that wasn't what you were in for. If you just want us to be physical, I might have to let you down on that one. I can't do that with you, I like you too much." He shook his head as I went to sit down next to him, resting my head against his shoulder. "I feel like I already screwed that up anyway, by holding your hand like a lunatic and constantly thinking about you…" he trailed off.

I decided to chip in and relieve him of his misery. "Edward, to be honest I thought you were going to tell me to fuck off. You have no idea how glad I am that you feel the same way I do," I whispered to him, my heart doing a happy dance, cheering Edward on.

"Really?" His head shot up, his eyes hopeful, and I nodded.

"I've been afraid to tell you, since this was only our third date, but I enjoyed every minute of it and I really, _really _like you. So much."

Edward leaned his head against mine and we just sat there for several minutes, in silence and with our heads together. It felt wonderfully comfortable, and my mind was finally at ease.

_He did like me. He did want more. _

"Then we'll have to give this a real chance, see how it goes," Edward started, "we need to do more, get to know each other." I smirked at him and let my hand slip under his shirt, touching the bare skin of his back. "Out of the bedroom, baby." I pouted at his words.

_Was he for real?_

"Please, Edward?" I tried my best to look cute and undeniable, batting my lashes at him.

Edward laughed at my desperate attempt at seduction and took off his jacket, draping it over the back of the couch. He grabbed my face in his hands, kissing me hard before trailing kisses all over my neck.

_Did I win?_

"Since we go back to work tomorrow, I hope you won't be too busy to remember me, Enchantress," he murmured against my collarbone, shifting the V-neck of my shirt aside so he could reach my cleavage better. I squirmed against his mouth, tugging his hair so he'd kiss my lips again instead. How could I ever forget him? Edward responded quickly to my unspoken request and kissed me, a soft and gentle, yet sexy kiss. I was getting so into it I was about to straddle his hips on the couch, when instead he pulled away with a big grin on his face. I groaned, the man was a master of blocking his own cock.

He pushed me down onto the cushions, hovering over me and trailing his hands all over my body in slow and tortuous strokes.

"Edward, fuck this torture of yours. I want you," I panted. His eyes shot up to mine, a devilish smile on his face.

"Oh, come on," I whined and tugged at the button on his jeans, but it was ineffective.

"Tsk, Isabella," he sighed, "you're not making this any easier, you know."

I bit my lip, feeling insecure. I wasn't sure what to do now, since Edward had just admitted that he _liked_ me. People who liked each other wanted to tear each other's clothes off, right?

"Don't you want me?" I asked, my voice almost shaky. The way he was looking at me made me feel guilty. Guilty for not being able to understand what this meant, what _we_ meant, and for trying to make him see that I liked him by getting into his pants. It was the best way I could think of to show him, though.

_Pathetic._

Edward's gaze went from tender to tormented, grasping my face between his hands and forcing me to look into his eyes.

"Baby, I _want_ you, badly, but we have to put the brakes on this for a little bit. I have to do this right, I can't have you thinking I just want you around for a quick fuck. I want to give you everything: the awkward meeting of my family, sneaking kisses around them and then showing you just how much I've wanted you once I get you alone. You have to be angry with me sometimes—because trust me I'm far from perfect—just so we can make up again. Isabella, I want everything you'll give me, all of you. No shortcuts." He smiled at me in a way he hadn't before. I couldn't decipher it right away, but I figured mine mirrored his perfectly. Then it hit me: he really wanted this to be a relationship. All the things they entail, the good and bad. This man had me wrapped around his finger without any effort. I had to push through all my issues, not be scared anymore of developing real feelings. It would take me some time, but Edward was worth opening up my heart for.

Alice was right, there was no perfect time for your heart to succumb to that one person. When you know, you know.

"Meet my friends?" I asked, nuzzling his palm with my cheek. His grip softened as his smile widened.

"Really?" He looked so cute, surprised by my question.

"They _are_ my family, I need to introduce you. They will lo— _like_ you as much as I do."

He laughed and it echoed through my living room.

"I doubt you want them to like me as much as you do, baby. That could get _really _weird, really fast." He licked his bottom lip as his eyes zeroed in on mine.

I rolled my eyes at him. He was so serious before and now he was just playing around.

"Kiss me, please. And you'll meet them this Saturday. I'll let Alice know she has a little get-together to plan. She'll be thrilled." I claimed his lips before he even had time to answer me.

He kissed me back without hesitation, his lips moving so perfectly with mine I wondered what I was doing kissing other men and thinking it felt good at that time. This was as good as it ever would get, I was sure of it.

"Fuck," he groaned when he realized my attempt at seducing him was quite successful.

Edward pushed me down on the couch, my head hitting the armrest in doing so. I yelped, more out of surprise than out of pain, his legs straddling either side of my body as he leaned in on me. His lips were busy, setting my body on fire as his hands bunched up my shirt, exposing my cream-colored lace bra.

"Damn," Edward gritted trough his teeth, a finger brushing my hardened nipple underneath the delicate fabric. I writhed at his touch, wanting more. I had to let him lead, though, since clearly it meant a lot to him that he could show me exactly how _slow_ this needed to go.

Because of what he told me, I was expecting him to pull away soon and press a goodbye-kiss to my lips. It would leave me frustrated as hell, in need of a cold shower, but I didn't really care if that was what he wanted.

Instead, his hands flew to the fly of my pants and he unbuttoned them while looking into my eyes.

"I thought—" he cut me of by yanking the fabric down my thighs with such force I was astonished it didn't rip. If this was his way of slowing down, I low-key loved it.

"Don't think, Isabella," Edward whispered and pressed a kiss above the lacy trim of my panties. I was suddenly glad I decided to match my undergarments today — call it wishful thinking. Not that I could think even if I wanted to, because right now Edward's head was between my legs, looking up at me with that fucking grin on his face. Like he knew what it took to make me swoon over him even more, cocky fucking bastard.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck_, was all my brain could come up with as the sex-kitten took over. Edward had successfully removed my panties without me even realizing it. He clutched one of my legs and threw it onto his shoulder before flicking my clit with his tongue. I let my head fall back, groaning out loud at his teasing.

"What's wrong, baby, do I have to stop?" He grinned, and I felt his hot breath all over my center.

"Don't you dare stop now," I said aggressively, arching my back to try and get his face closer again. His fingers curled around my thigh, pressing into the flesh when he moaned against my pussy, his tongue exploring. I thought his kisses were better than anything else before but took it back right then and there as he sucked, nibbled and licked me into a moaning, sweaty mess.

"Oh, fuck," I breathed heavily. My heart was pounding out of control, my teeth attacking my bottom lip, preventing me from screaming so loud my neighbors might call the cops. I gripped the throw-pillow behind me tightly, needing to hold on to something because he was just that good. The way Edward seemed to already know my body so well was astonishing to me. He must have paid so much attention during our first time, he got my cues and noises perfectly. My body responded to his skillful mouth, my thigh and abdominal muscles clenching as my entire form trembled with pleasure. Edward seemed to like the power he had over me. I looked down at him and I swear the man _winked_ at me when his teeth nipped on my clit. It left me moaning so loud, I was almost embarrassed.

"I can't believe it took me this long to taste your pussy," he groaned, and my eyes rolled back when he pushed two fingers inside me. He curled them upwards to hit my sweet spot, causing me to grip his hair instead of the pillow.

I agreed with a few nods, urging him to keep going but unable to form coherent sentences. The tingles had turned into fire, the anticipation of my release making me impatient.

Edward slowed his pace as if he knew he almost had me over the edge, lazily circling his tongue around my clit. I arched my back once more, trying to get as much friction possible, grinding against him.

_Edward Cullen, you fucking tease._

"Come on, I'm so close," I huffed, eyes closed as I tightened my legs around his shoulders.

"Ask nicely," he murmured, thrusting his fingers inside me again to vex me.

"Ugh, please, Edward. I need to come, you're driving me crazy." I squirmed and palmed my breast through my bra, though my touch did nothing compared to his.

"That's a good girl." I could hear the smile in his tone and then his mouth was on my pussy again, the fire in me building up rapidly, stronger than before.

My legs spasmed and my walls convulsed around his fingers as he bit me lightly. I let out an animalistic growl along with some 'fucks' when I came harder than our first time together. This man will kill me.

"Fuck," I breathed as he got out of the vice-grip my legs had around him and sat up, cracking his neck with a cocky smile on his face.

"I told you I didn't want you to forget about me, right?" He leaned over me, kissed my cheek and scooped up my panties to throw them my way. I sat up straight, a sheen of sweat covering my body, my hair all over the place.

"Yeah, I couldn't forget you even if I tried." I shook my head at Edward, letting my eyes wander to the front of his jeans. Clearly, he was one of those men who got hard just from going down. Great, I smirked. He caught me ogling and tilted my chin up, pressing a kiss onto my lips. I could taste myself on him, and I didn't care.

"I have to go now, baby," he whispered against my lips. I pouted but got up to wiggle into my undies, hoping he'd change his mind.

"Don't look at me like that. Have an early night, relax." He grabbed my hand, tugging me along to my front door. My legs were wobbly; I hadn't fully recovered from my climax, it seemed.

"Oh, I'm relaxed, trust me," I purred at Edward, handing him his jacket before he shrugged it on. "When can I see you again?" I asked him, playing with the silver buttons on his lapel and dreading that I had to go back to the real world. His hands trailed down my back to rest on my barely-covered ass.

"I'll see you Saturday. I can't wait to meet your _family_,although new people tend to scare me." He laughed and tugged his hair nervously. I pictured Alice assaulting him with lots of questions and Rose giving him the fifth degree, but he should be fine since his intentions were far better than anyone else's before. It would be a first, to let a guy I was seeing meet my friends so early on.

"It'll be fine, trust me. They'll love you," I said, looking up at his handsome face.

"I love hanging out with you. Today was amazing." He hesitated a little in his sentence, but I pretended not to have heard the almost heart-shattering 'I love you' in my head. It was definitely too soon for anything like that to be said out loud.

"You could say that…" I winked at him and kissed him again as he stood outside my door, ready to leave.

He lingered against my lips, kissing me sweetly before squeezing my hand and walking away toward the elevator.

"I'll miss you, baby," he said just before the doors closed.

I was happy to see no one in the hallway as I stood there in my crumpled T-shirt and lace underpants, a totally Edward-obsessed mess, staring at the closed elevator doors

After I watched Edward's car pull out of the parking lot from my bedroom window, I hopped into the shower and changed into a pair of soft, plaid pajama shorts and a tank top. I flopped down on my bed with the notes I'd made for Jane's book, trying to focus and type it all neatly in a Word document on my laptop. After about half an hour, I was done with that and put the file away in my work bag along with a new notebook and a few pens.

My phone chimed and I checked my messages like a ninja.

**Warrior: Just got home, already miss you…**

**I know the feeling, my apartment smells like you. I kinda like it. **

**Warrior: Get used to it then. I plan to visit a lot. **

I smiled at his sweet reply.

**You better :-) I'm going to watch some TV and crash, you?**

**Warrior: ** **I need to catch up on some comics and then go to bed as well. Need my sleep, or the gym and Emmett are going to kick my ass.**

**Your glorious ass doesn't need kicking. Go read, I'll be thinking of you, xo**

I threw my phone onto the couch as I walked by, heading to the kitchen to make myself a ginger-lemon tea and finish the rest of the carrots I started eating earlier. Even after all the cake, I suddenly felt a little hungry. There wasn't anything really capturing my attention on TV, so I decided to stream a Netflix movie instead.

At about eleven, it was time to turn in, my new promotion leaving me a little anxious. Luckily, I had Edward around today to take my mind off it. I sent him a quick 'goodnight' text, which he answered with a cute 'I wish you were here' and a kiss emoji. Today was good, we were on the same page. Edward telling me he wanted everything I was willing to give him put a smile on my face before my head hit the pillow and I drifted off to sleep.

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**A/N **To the ladies freaking out: that wasn't so bad, was it? ;)

Rec of the day: A Dirty Lion by _Fyrebyrd_. It is SO good.

Until next time, *big kiss*

You can find me on Facebook (PearlyFox Fanfic): I usually post teasers but I forgot this time *sorry*


	13. Meek Mondays

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay. Work has kept me pretty busy lately *rolls eyes*.  
I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter, it's an extra long one

As always, gotta love **maniacalmuse **for the beautifying. You're the absolute best!

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I do not own Twilight, obviously. If I did, I'd be on an island somewhere and not busting my ass full-time at work -LOL-

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**Meek Mondays**

Edward had left me in a near-comatose state last night, and by morning the effects he'd had on me and my body obviously hadn't worn off.

Spent and satisfied, I'd fallen asleep without setting my usual alarms, and when I opened my eyes the next morning and glanced at my phone on the nightstand, I almost had a heart attack when the illuminated numbers showed me it was eight a.m.

"God _fucking _damnit," I cursed violently after stumbling out of bed in a sleepy haze. I had about fifteen minutes to get myself ready and presentable for the first day of my sorta-new job. I could _not _be late today; there was no way in hell I would be late today. The words kept racing through my brain like some kind of mantra, pushing me to move my ass faster.

My hands reached for a structured blazer and a silky top, while I silently praised Alice for making me hang up my work clothes in sets rather than separate pieces. I struggled with the zip of my pencil skirt, turning the garment so the zipper was in the front and then wiggling my way to the bathroom while pulling it back into place. With no time to wash my hair, I spritzed some dry-shampoo at my roots, massaging it in with my fingers to create some volume and pulling the brush through it to make it look less like 'I slept too late' and more 'I just blow-dried these locks to the gods.' Luckily, my makeup routine was so embedded into my mind that I barely had to think as I went around my jars and powders. Some perfume and deodorant later, I pulled on some patent leather Chelsea boots with platform soles and swung my bag around my arm. Keys in hand, I went for the elevator. There was no time for breakfast or to pack a lunch.

"Oh no," I gasped and stepped back, dropping my bag onto the hallway floor and dashing back into my apartment in search of my cell phone. I simply could not leave without it since it was the closest to Edward I would get today. Picking up the phone, I glanced through the notifications and saw he'd called me at seven — my usual wake-up time — and sent me some texts after I didn't pick up the phone. I decided to read it all when I got to the elevator, since I had no time to spare. Edward's good morning message from five a.m. warmed my heart as he sent it along with a picture of his sleepy, adorable, sexy face, which made me pout. By this time, he had probably already arrived at work. The last message he sent me was at 7:45, telling me that Emmett butchered him at the gym and he was now on his way to work. He also asked me why I wasn't up yet, his texts growing more worried.

I jotted out a quick reply when the elevator dropped me off on the parking floor, telling him I was sorry but overslept, making sure I added enough kissy-faced emojis to show him I found the fact that he was worried intensely sweet. His response was swift, prompting me to be careful on the road and to let him know when I arrived safely. I shot Edward a selfie, throwing him a kiss and wishing him good luck on the big meeting he had coming up. His response was short but sweet, telling me he thought I looked beautiful and that I should "go get 'em" at work. He surely put a smile on my face.

The drive to work left me agitated; people who were scared to drive just shouldn't. They hold up traffic and make the foul mouth of Rosalie Hale pale in comparison to my road rage. I had a tiny, little issue with that — I admit it. As soon as I parked and got out of the car, I glanced at the time. I needed to stop worrying over my morning not going as planned; I may have overslept but arrived at work ten minutes early. My usual time, but I liked to spend my morning not feeling rushed — have a nice breakfast and be cool. Not being the spastic monkey I was this morning. It left me feeling restless and tired, craving caffeine.

In an attempt to fill my stomach a little, I grabbed myself a morning coffee in the staff kitchen on our floor, feeling anxious for Victoria to arrive. She had told me to wait for her in her office, so I slid into one of her chairs and grabbed my phone to send Edward my first decent text of the day.

**I'm at work. All limbs still attached and I still got in early enough. Call me an overly dramatic dork.**

**Warrior: I'm glad, baby. I almost thought you'd forgotten about me… **

I snorted and glanced around sneakily to see if anyone had heard. His attempt at making me remember him last night definitely wasn't in vain. My stomach did a little flip as I recalled his skills. It suddenly felt a little hot in here. Angela waved me good morning when she saw me sitting by Victoria's desk as she walked over to the editing department. I smiled at her. She always seemed like a nice person and was beautiful, with her petite yet curvy frame, strong features and long, dark hair.

**Yeah, cocky bastard. The hell you thought that.**

**Warrior: I still remember our shower. Vividly, so I guess we needed to get even ;) **

This guy, though.

**I wouldn't mind a do-over to refresh your memory, you know. Got to go, boss coming up.**

**Warrior: Good girls don't lie, Isabella.**

**I'd never, Mr. Cullen ;)**

Victoria bounced gracefully into her office, sky-high yellow stilettos on her feet and a pair of wide-legged, high-waisted, black trousers which made her legs look endless. Her curls were styled in bigger waves, more sophisticated than her all-natural messy ringlets, making her look very poised.

"Happy Monday, pupil," she chimed. Her energy seemed to be fully recharged, illuminating her entire face.

"Hey, Victoria. You look like you had a good weekend," I told her as I stood up. She set her handbag on top of her desk, her bracelets jingling with her movements.

"The best, actually. James took me out for tango lessons. It was unforgettable." She laughed, and I tried to imagine the ragged, long-haired blond James —Victoria's husband — in a Latin dancer's outfit. I was at a loss for words. She took in my wide, surprised eyes for an answer, her laugh ringing through the air.

"Exactly, you should've seen him! Hair slicked back, black suit with a rose in the lapel and everything, fully concentrated. He was a whole other man!" She waved a stray curl out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"So are things good again?" I dared to ask Victoria. She had trusted me with her issues a couple of months ago. James and her had been having trouble conceiving and it weighed heavily on both of them. They got married a couple of years ago after being together since their senior year of college. They were two equally creative, free-spirited peas in a pod —perfect for each other.

"You know, it never occurred to me way back when we first started out, that we did everything to prevent us from having a baby. Now it seems like all we do is figure out how to actually have one. Life's weird like that." She shrugged and frowned. The frown vanished as fast as it appeared and then she smiled kindly at me.

"We've decided to stop trying," she started. "It's not healthy for our relationship. James and I have been so happy without kids forever. I don't see why that has to change just because we're hopping into that age-bracket, you know?" She shrugged and rubbed her hands together before stuffing one of them in the pocket of her trousers. "When it happens, it happens. But I don't plan to give birth as an old lady, so we might cancel everything in a year or two."

Victoria peered out of the window behind me. "So, enough about me. Did you find some time over the weekend to go over the manuscript?" she asked, perching herself on the desk and crossing her legs. I nodded and started rummaging around my bag, taking out the file along with my notes.

"I did make some notes already for the first chapter. Jane's work is very nice, although it was a bit messy in some parts." Victoria's smile brightened even more. She looked younger than her thirty-two years.

"Great! Can't wait to hear what you did. We'll be meeting Jane later this morning, around eleven. She's coming over from headquarters in New York on my father's request. She really wants to work with a female squad on this," she explained.

My heart rate picked up at Victoria's news. I hadn't expected to meet up with Jane Volturi, especially not on my official first day as a newbie editor. Surely, meeting her would be of great help in figuring out the woman's personal style, so I could edit the story in a way I knew she'd appreciate.

"Oh, wow. That's already making me nervous," I confessed, but Victoria shook her head. She pushed herself off the desk and led me out of the office.

"You will have the desk next to Angela's; it's been empty for too long since Charlotte's departure. She'll help you along with me. This will be great," Victoria exclaimed before stopping at the island of four desks, two computers along each side facing each other.

"So Bella, Jane's book? I hear she's quite the personality, you'll be a great fit for her," Angela said, placing a mug of tea onto her desk, next to a framed picture of her and a brown-haired guy — her boyfriend Ben. I smiled at Angela, delighted that my new coworker wouldn't be bitching up my ass, since she's very sweet and quite talented. I looked forward to working with her.

I got right to the task of switching desks, taking all my stuff from one place to the other and settling in. Once I got everything in its place, I booted up the computer. After checking my email and letting Angela show me the ropes on how to properly attend to everything on our to-do list, the phone rang on my desk.

"Bella Swan," I answered it. It was Victoria herself, calling me into her office to prepare for our meeting with Jane, who would be coming up in about forty minutes.

"So, before she gets here, I wanted to discuss something with you first," Victoria started and opened up a file on her computer.

"Sure, what's it about?" I inquired, opening my notebook and playing with the pen in my hand.

"Well, you're going to have to sign a new employment agreement since your task load has changed, as well as your salary." I raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, sweetheart. You'll be getting a raise, you're one of the bigger fish here now." Victoria winked. I hadn't really thought about that; the job switch alone made me happy enough. "I'm just waiting for H.R. to forward it to me, so you'll get to sign it before the end of today," she continued. "Since my father is the big boss over in the Big Apple, he approved of your promotion, but you'll have to do an internship for three months at headquarters."

Three months in New York? If she'd asked me that a week ago, I'd have jumped onto a plane in a heartbeat, savoring the opportunity. But thinking about leaving everything and _everyone_ behind — especially now that Edward and I decided to give this relationship a good and fair shot — made me a little uncertain. I didn't really like the weakness that seemed to spread all over me.

"Anyway, nothing's set in stone just yet. So it might be a little while before he takes you up on it. My dad's notorious for his procrastination. I have no idea how the hell he keeps up with running a company with his attitude." Victoria laughed, shaking her head along with an exaggerated eye-roll as she talked about her father, the big CEO, William Greene.

I was glad the topic of New York seemed to have disappeared as Victoria and I went over the agenda topics for our meeting with Jane. I laid out my notes and the manuscript, explaining my reasons to Victoria. She seemed to be on the same page as me and said she enjoyed the dedication I showed by working on this on a weekend. Soon enough, Victoria's intercom buzzed, the front desk downstairs announcing that Jane had arrived. I volunteered to fetch some coffee and water from the kitchen and when I returned, a petite blonde sat down in one of the chairs in the meeting room.

Jane Volturi wasn't exactly how I had pictured her to be. She looked about my age and had long, pin-straight, pale blonde hair that draped across narrow shoulders clad in a red silk blouse. Her smile was bright, her lips matching the fire-engine red of her shirt. Jane's face resembled that of a girl-next-door, with pouty lips and dimpled cheeks that gave her a very youthful presence. All of that innocence on the outside made me think she was hiding a lot of attitude on the inside.

"You must be Bella. Victoria's told me a lot about you."

I shook Jane's hand, noticing she had a very firm handshake for such a small woman.

"Likewise! I really admire you for stepping out into the author world so young! I've heard you wrote books all the way back to when you were ten?" I asked her and sat down next to Victoria on the opposite end of the table.

"I did, although those were some silly stories my parents used to be proud of. My new work, not so much." she sighed and opened up her tiny state-of-the-art laptop.

"I told you, they're prudes. Don't let them get you down," Victoria assured Jane.

Jane told us about the plot, her reasoning, and that she wrote the entire thing on her last holiday to Greece with her brother, Alec. He was the main inspiration for her male protagonist, along with his wild little soirées on the island that often made her hide in her room. When I showed Jane my notes on the first chapter, her demeanor changed a little. She wasn't as open, as smiley as she was before, but appeared cold and it was clear to me she wore her business mask well. I only hoped I hadn't insulted her.

"Bella, I see you're quite talented. I like that you didn't go in and change entire sentences or paragraphs. People sometimes do that and it makes me want to snap their heads off," she chimed, her angelic smile masking the aggressive nature of her words. I really liked her so far. She was feisty and strong, everything I admired in a woman in business.

"Yeah well, I figured giving them to you like this might be better. You could read everything over and tweak it as you see fit. It is your book after all," I agreed with her. Jane and I continued going over different passages of the book, and eventually she softened a bit more. I didn't know why some of the gossip media were so hard on her.

Victoria went over the more rational side of the book. Jane needed to prepare for a book tour and signings around town. There was no cover yet, so Victoria called in Alice and her P.R. talents so she could pull some strings.

"Jane, one more thing. You really need a bit of an upgrade on your website," Alice said as she opened the homepage on the tablet in front of her. She cocked an eyebrow at Jane, waiting for her reaction when it occurred to me I now had ties with a very hotand talented web designer.

"I'm on it, Alice. I contacted a few firms and am waiting for their propositions. I only need one more, from Current Design here in L.A. They promised to get back to me by the end of this week," Jane stated. The name did ring a bell, since it was where Edward worked. I decided to keep quiet and remain professional, but Alice peeked at me with a secretive smile on her face. That woman knew too much and I had barely told her anything.

The meeting was over just after lunchtime, and Alice decided to take me out for some food. She let out a deep, theatrical sigh when she went to retrieve her handbag from her cubicle, tapping away on her phone.

"You know, Bella, you look positively beaming," she said with that same smile she wore in the conference room. She wasn't about to stop hassling me about Edward, so I shook my head at her and laughed. "You can be so persistent. What's wrong with you?" We walked over to the salad bar across the street. The air was slightly chillier now that it was February, and I reminded myself to start wearing more layers again.

"I have a quest for you, darling Alice," I mused dramatically as we sat down outside to enjoy a panini.

She shot me an equally striking look, snapping her fingers to get me talking. "Give me the info, Swan," she said and took a bite of her smoked salmon and cream cheese delicacy.

"I invited Edward for a night with my one-true family. Saturday night, if you're up for the challenge?" I asked her, glad to see her glimmer with enthusiasm. She wanted to talk, covering her mouth full of food with her hands and chewing impatiently.

"Gee, Bella! This is so good. I'm so glad you decided to let him make an appearance. Jasper will be thrilled. He told me it was about time you met someone decent," she prattled. I couldn't believe she had already dragged Jasper into this. He must be losing his mind at home with this chatty wife of his.

"Yeah well, we talked and he thinks it's important we take it down a notch. Edward told me he wanted to know everything about me, including my friends and family. Since the two of you and Rose are my favorite people in the world, that's pretty straightforward." I told her, taking a sip of my iced coffee.

"Oh sweetie, I told you he'd like you. From what you've told me, your Warrior didn't seem like the hit it and quit it type," she started. "Although you let him hit it quite fast, might I add." She wiggled her dark brows suggestively.

"So, he was _that_ good, wasn't he?" Alice added once she spotted the blush fanning across my face. I really had to invest in a fuller coverage foundation if I wanted to bluff my way out of Alice's inquisitions.

"You could say that. I told you good doesn't even cover it, Alice." I babbled on about Edward, feeling giddy and suddenly very talkative. "The way I feel when he just looks at me, I can't even explain it. There is this weird but good feeling every time he touches me and his kisses are fucking fireworks," I told her. "So you can imagine how good everything else feels. And from what I've heard about Jasper and you I'm one hundred percent certain you know what I'm talking about." It was Alice's turn to blush now but she nodded anyway, a dreamy look on her face.

"Don't drool on your bread Mrs. Whitlock, that would be a waste of a perfectly grilled baguette," I laughed.

For the rest our lunch hour, we talked about Bree's wedding and the dress Alice needed to help me find. I agreed to be a bridesmaid only if I could pick out my own attire. I didn't want to risk the chance of my mother putting me into a cupcake-style chiffon abomination. Either that or I wouldn't have any part in the wedding at all. My mother didn't seem to care either way but it only took one second of little Bree's trembling lip for Renée to be on board with it. They gave me a color and style, picking lavender and floor-length. I was dreading it already, hating the feeling of long, formal dresses. I was always scared to trip. Luckily, Alice knew a couple of places that would sell me a decent enough garment. She took my measurements and decided to test her luck on one of her favorite online stores. I could just try it on at home, so there was no stress or audience lying to me. I had a feeling Alice wanted to ask me about my mysterious wedding guest, but I was able to shake her off by noticing our lunch was nearing its end. It was time to go back to the office.

"We can talk about it later. Saturday night's on, right?" I managed to ask her while we climbed the stairs to our floor. It was Alice's New Year's' resolution last month to take the stairs as much as possible. How she was able to do that in five-inch heels was beyond me.

"You need to quit smoking, you have zero stamina, Bella," Alice whined as I rolled my eyes. I told her I hadn't touched a cigarette since girls' night and she seemed impressed. She also told me I'd give up as soon as Rose showed up — which was tonight — and laughed at Rose and me for resembling the two aunts from The Simpsons, something Rose got mad at quite often. They were without a man, slightly bitter and smoking like there was no tomorrow.

The afternoon went by fast. Angela helped me out here and there and Victoria stopped to talk about the schedule for the week when she brought my updated contract to sign. Everything was good, five o' clock was upon us, and I had packed my bag to leave when my phone lit up, happily buzzing away on the desk. I hoped it would be Edward, since I hadn't heard from him all day, but it was Rosalie instead.

"Hi Rose," I greeted her, walking over to the kitchen to rinse out my mug.

"I'm at the store, do we need anything?" Rose was coming over for what we called our weekly family night. The both of us would cook a nice meal and talk, cry or laugh — whatever was most necessary. I had a feeling we would talk about boys tonight. It'd been a while since Rose and I each had our eyes on a man at the same time. I needed to tell her about Edward, since I'd kind of kept her in the dark so far.

"Maybe some more carrots, I ate them all," I said.

"I'll bring beer as well as some other bits we might need, cool?" she asked me. I told her that would be nice, since my fridge was almost empty except for the ingredients for tonight's dinner. I'd just gotten off the phone with her when it buzzed again, and a smile lit up my face.

**Warrior: I'm home now, but miss you. Can I call you tonight? **

I waited to respond until I walked through my front door somewhat later, hating traffic and slipping off my shoes.

**Just got in as well. I miss you more, call me around ten please? Rose is coming over for dinner.**

**Warrior: Can't wait to hear your voice, baby. Have fun tonight, I'll be reading to pass the time.**

**Patience baby ;)**

**Warrior: I really said that, didn't I?**

**You did. I'd send you a picture since I'm taking off my clothes now, but you wanted to slow things down a bit, no?**

**Warrior: My poor ass decisions keep haunting me, Enchantress. Have fun with your friend, is it Emmett's blonde?**

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**A/N**

**Next up we have a little girl-date with Rose :D **

Fic of the day: **The Hermit and The Hunk **by **Pandora's Box Is Heavy. **This really doesn't need an explanation. It's so good it makes me squeal every time an update hits my mailbox. Are you reading it? Do you have rec's for me?


	14. Fierce Framily

**A/N: **A little BFF moment… Thanks for reading!

Shoutout to **maniacalmuse** to make this read better and to correct my many flaws! She also started a new story: The Dark Lust. It's very good and full of suspense :D

**Framily = Friendship where you see each other as family. **

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**Chapter 14: Fierce Framily. **

"Ding dong!" Rosalie's voice echoed through my apartment as she let herself in, carrying two bags of groceries and trying to close the door with her leg while balancing on one sneaker-clad foot. "Honey, I'm home!" she added in a sing-song, fifties-housewife flair when she saw me standing in the doorway to my bedroom.

"Hey there, so glad you could make it," I said to her, walking over to the kitchen where Rose was now unloading our dinner. I felt comfy and refreshed after showering and changing into some yoga shorts and a loose sweater. We liked to pig out and get comfy for these kinds of nights, which meant loungewear was a must.

"I wouldn't dare to miss it, Bells. I love our family-style dinners together," she said quietly with a smile on her face. Rosalie's makeup was still in place, her hair draped stylishly around one shoulder in a fishtail braid.

"What aren't you telling me, Hale?" I asked her, crossing my arms in front of my chest and leaning against the counter.

Rosalie's blue eyes twinkled as she spoke next. "I'm just hoping we'll have a real family soon, just like Alice. You know, you with your internet-dude and me with, ah ... Emmett." Her voice was soft, her forwardness totally out of character. I knew Rosalie craved having a family and her biological clock had been ticking for quite some time now, even though she was only twenty-six. Unfortunately, her taste in men had been rather bad up to this point. I was hopeful that Emmett could be the right one for her. It wasn't like Rose to be all over a guy so shortly after meeting him. I smiled at her, not really knowing what to say and opting for nothing at all; I didn't want to scare the kitten back under the couch. An open, wall-less Rose was quite pleasant. We chopped vegetables and potatoes together in perfect silence, listening to some music.

"So, I know you're holding a knife and whatnot, but do you want to tell me about Emmett?" I asked bravely, noticing Rosalie stop mid-chop as she took a deep breath. She looked at me with wide eyes, a little tense.

"Leave those, come and have a smoke with me," she said and dropped the knife onto the counter. I laughed at her nervously wiping her hands on a towel and flinging it in the sink. She walked over to her bag to retrieve her pack of cigarettes, and I succumbed to the habits we shared when I joined her on my balcony.

Rosalie inhaled deeply before looking at me, her sock-clad feet tapping on the concrete.  
"I'm having such a hard time, Bella." She exhaled the smoke, leaning her head against the window. "Since everything that happened with Royce, I'm just so scared to let someone else in, you know?"

"Ah, Rose. I know he's not like Royce. He can't be," I muttered and then took a long-awaited drag from my own cigarette, wondering how I could explain this to Rose properly. Royce was a douchebag; Emmett couldn't be anything like him, especially if he took after his younger brother, Edward.

"What makes you so sure of that?" she wondered, her brows marring her forehead with a frown.

"Ikindaknowhisbrother," I rambled softly and didn't even look her in the eye. She hated when I did that.

"Isabella Marie Swan," she gasped. "Are you telling me you've been seeing your little internet friend in person? And mister Warrior is no other than Emmett's baby brother?"

I nodded, feeling guilty for not confiding in her whilst telling Alice everything. "His name is Edward," I said and looked at my blonde friend, her eyes the size of dinner plates and she gasped loudly again.

"Bella! Why didn't you tell me? Emmett kept going on about his nerdy brother, Edward, and the way he described him I kept thinking how he could be such a good match for you!" she exclaimed and almost burned my hair with her cigarette when she leaned in to hug me.

"No, don't you dare make this about me, Miss Hale. I want to know all about Emmett Cullen and how _that's_ going," I told her, and threw the butt of my cigarette into an old flower pot filled with water.

Once we got back inside and finished up making dinner, Rosalie told me about her dates with Cullen brother number two. Apparently, Rose was so head over heels for him she let him drop her off at her house the night we all went out. She swore he didn't go inside with her, but she did give him a peck on the cheek. I pretended to be shocked, placing my head over my heart in the most dramatic fashion.

"Bells, please. Do you have any idea how much willpower it took to keep it that decent? The man has dimples for crying out loud. He is absolute perfection," she swooned and at that point I knew she was lost to the man's charm. "I moved too fast with Royce. Let my feelings get the better of me," Rosalie said and prepared two plates for us while I set out two beers on my coffee table. Looking over at the couch, where Edward had given me that fucking mind-blowing orgasm, I had to hold myself back from laughing when she told me she'd moved too fast with her ex. Too fast meant that Rosalie Hale put out on the fifth date. She had this idea of being swept off her feet by a gentleman—everything Royce wasn't but pretended to be. It seemed like Emmett made Rosalie unleash her inner horndog, something I looked forward to seeing unravel.

"Sweetheart, you didn't move too fast. Trust me," I said to her, flopping down on the couch and waiting for her to join me.

"Let me guess, you've shown Mister Internet around your room?" She rolled her eyes at me, picking up her fork and stabbing a piece of chicken with it. I was glad there was chicken, or the cutlery might've ended up in my own flesh.

"No, not that. But I did see his, and he saw uh ... my couch." I laughed at the horrified look on her face. She looked at the couch, then at me and groaned.

"You do know I'm eating here, right?" She shot me a dirty look but couldn't mask her smile.

"Couches are great for _eating._" I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively and we both almost cried from laughter.

"I won't even ask, but girl, from that blush on your face I can tell you like him very much," she observed.

"I do, and it's actually scaring the fuck out of me. So I get what you mean, sorta." I scooped up a bite of mashed potatoes. Rosalie smiled at me and let out a deep sigh.

"What's our deal? Why can't we just throw ourselves into it, like Alice does?" she wondered. I didn't know what to say to her, honestly. Alice seemed to be love's trusty sidekick, always trying to get the both of us to follow our hearts instead of our heads. Seeing her with Jasper could sometimes almost be too much, because after all those years of being together, they seemed to have cracked the code.

"You know, you should try to be less hard on yourself," I said to Rosalie as she put her now empty plate on top of the coffee table. "Tell me about him," I urged, putting my plate on hers and getting more comfortable on the couch.

"We talked a lot, sat outside for a while at the club. I felt really bad for Alice, but she just called Jasper and he came to pick her up after," she began and tucked one leg under the other. "He told me about his business, I told him about mine, and he seemed very happy that I know what it takes to run one. He's had trouble with girls in the past because of it, because he's so busy most of the time." She paused and took a swig of her beer. "He hasn't dated in forever, and I told him I just had a horrible relationship that left me kind of out of trust for the male species, which made him laugh."

"So, you talked about Royce?" I asked her, genuinely interested. Rosalie never seemed to bare her feelings—not even I got the full hundred percent—yet now she seemed softer, more approachable.

"I did," she said and looked at me with her blue eyes sparkling. "He told me that I was right to throw his ass on the street after what he did to me," she snickered. "And when he got me home, I wanted nothing more than to let him stay over. Is that bad?" she asked me, hugging her knees while still holding the bottle in her hands.

I almost got mad. "Honey, please. It's not wrong, stop thinking that! Do you think I am wrong if I sleep with guys?" I asked her, almost afraid to hear her answer. She had never judged me in the past, although she probably should have.

She shook her head at me. "I don't think it's wrong. I think you're amazing for being so confident and taking power, taking what you want. It's just that guys always seem to want me for my body or to use me as arm candy," she rolled her eyes again. Rose wasn't wrong, though. Her former boyfriends had never ended things themselves, it was always Rose who broke up with them because they were mostly arrogant douches with a God-complex.

"Sweetness, you need to stop thinking and take what you want. I think Emmett is a great guy. Stop stressing and see how it goes, okay?" I said calmly, running a hand along her knee and giving her a little squeeze.

"Only if you'll do the same." Rose looked me in the eyes, confident and ballsy, just like I knew her.

I nodded. "Deal."

"I just can't believe you didn't tell me about your, uh ... Edward. What's he like?" Rosalie asked me when I drank the last of my beer. I told her about the first meeting, about our dinner date at his place and she almost swooned when she heard about the sweet, kind and devastatingly sexy nature of Edward. She giggled when I told her that he tried to remain a gentleman the entire time we were together.

"You know, Emmett kept saying that he couldn't believe what a complete ass Royce was. That, if he ever did something like that, his mother would chase him around, beating him with a stick if he was anything less than a gentleman to women. Seems like someone raised her sons to be perfect specimens." Rose chuckled and I couldn't do anything besides agree with her.

"You know what, I promised Edward he could meet you guys this Saturday. Why don't you bring your Emmett?" I proposed, finishing up my bottle of beer. Rosalie eyed me suspiciously.

"Are you getting married or something? You seem quite eager for us to get to know the guy." I couldn't believe what came out of Rose's mouth and had to hold back laughter.

"Gee, calm down," I started as Rose watched the screen of her phone light up. Her smile did the same for her face and her eyes fluttered from the phone back up to me. "It's just that we decided to give whatever this is a fair shot. He wanted us to be serious, you know ..." I trailed off and felt bad Rose was making a little bit fun of me. She should be proud that I'm doing this.

"I know, sorry." She sighed happily. "I can't wait to meet him. He sure makes my friend a happy girl from what I can tell. It's fine, I will invite Emmett. But I don't know whether he's free or working."

I nodded. "It would be great to have him there, I think Edward's a little shy around new people," I told Rose.

The two of us continued our little boy-talk until Rose couldn't contain herself any longer. Emmett was the one texting her earlier, saying that he wanted to spend some time with her on his free evening from the café. She almost ran out of my apartment when I told her to go and have fun. I made Rosalie promise that she wouldn't overthink it; the wall she always puts up around herself needed to go. Otherwise, she'd never be happy.

"Be safe," my voice echoed through the hallway as she waited for the elevator to come up. Rosalie looked at me from over her shoulder, her blue eyes blazing with confidence.

"Of course, Bells."

The moment I shut the door behind me, I made my way back to the couch. I didn't even care about the mess on the coffee table, it would still be here after my long-awaited phone call.

I bit my lip, trying to calm down the butterflies in my stomach when Edward picked up on the second ring, his voice smooth and relaxed.

"Hi baby, how was your day?" he asked me, sounding upbeat.

"It was a little stressful, but I'm glad I survived it all. Rose just left, how was yours?"

"Well, interesting to say the least. We had a little threatening email from a potential new client. She wants a new website, _pronto._" Edward chuckled and I imagined he must talking about Jane Volturi. She was a feisty one, that was for sure.

"Let me guess, Jane?" I waited for him to speak again.

When Edward did, his voice was surprised and I could tell he was smiling. "How did you know?" he wondered playfully.

"I'm working on her new book. She came by for a meeting with me, Alice, and Victoria at the office. Alice basically told her to up her game on the internet and apparently, Jane was already on that and waiting for the proposal of a certain company," I told him.

"So, you recommended us then?"

"No, I promise I had nothing to do with that. I was surprised when I heard her say the name of your company. I really wanted to come across as professional, so I didn't even mention I knew you," I admitted. There was a slight silence at the other end of the line. Had I hurt his feelings?

"Oh, okay," he said, his voice on the quiet side. "How was your evening with Rosalie?" he asked, changing the subject.

I told him about her doubts about Emmett, and Edward seemed to back me up on my pep talk to her earlier. He told me his brother is a genuine, good guy who sometimes lacked a little tact and sported a sometimes unhealthy amount of enthusiasm. Emmett had talked about Rosalie to him as well, expressing his growing feelings for her. I told Edward that his brother might have to be very courageous and kiss the woman. She'd know he was right for her then; Rosalie needed a guy who took the initiative.

"I miss you," I stated and played with the tassels on one of the decorative pillows on the couch. Part of me wished I was sitting on his big, soft couch so I could see him and kiss him after work. The breath I didn't know I was holding fell from my lips.

"I miss you, too." His voice dropped as if he was feeling sad. I wanted to make him smile again, say something stupid or make a fool out of myself in a game so he could win it. "You want to get online and play some COD?" I smiled at Edward's question and agreed. As soon as I hung up the phone, I booted up my PS4 and grabbed my headphones.

Playing Call of Duty online with a squad usually ends up with people swearing at each other and wanting to kill them various times. Yet this game was surprisingly mellow—as mellow as a first-person shooting game can get. I think I even yelled more times than Edward, making him disconnect the other annoying players so it was just us. My headset was suddenly putting a lot of pressure on the shell of my ears, the usual result of restless gaming until the wee hours of the morning. Surely it wasn't that late already? One glance at the clock in the kitchen behind me made me curse.

"What's wrong, Enchantress?" Edward asked me.

"Did you check the time at all since we joined the party?" A loud 'fuck' erupted from him, making me chuckle.

"We should really be going to bed, we both have work and I know you're getting up ridiculously early to go to the gym," I proposed and heard Edward sigh.

"I know. Fuck, I had no idea it was past midnight."

"Now you know, Warrior," I said, laughing. "I miss you." I sighed and almost clasped my hand over my mouth, realizing I had already told him I missed him when he answered the phone earlier.

"I miss you too, baby. Is it almost Saturday?" Edward's voice was sweet, as was his impatience.

"Not really, it's only Tuesday tomorrow," I said and suddenly had some sort of epiphany. "Can I meet you at the gym on Wednesday? Maybe I could stay at your place?" I bit my lip waiting for his response, hoping I wasn't 'too fast' anymore. I could clearly hear Edward's smile through his words.

"If you stayed over, I'd never make it to the gym. You know I wouldn't," he started and I snorted, eyes trained on my television screen.

"That could be your cardio?" I joked. "I'll meet you there, then?"

"You'd volunteer to get up at the crack of dawn to go to the gym with me? I thought my Isabella needed her sleep?" He chuckled. _His Isabella_, I swooned internally.

"What time are you usually done? I'll come get you and we could have breakfast?" I tried again. Edward told me to meet him outside his gym a little after seven and gave me directions, which led to me telling him I'd have Rose drop me off since the gym was on her way to the salon.

"It's date?" I sounded a little unsure of myself and didn't recognize that.

"It most certainly is, baby. Sleep well, I'll be thinking of you." He disconnected from the server, leaving me in a dark living room, with no lights on except for the one in the kitchen. I got rid of the headset, throwing it on the couch and shutting down the electronics.

_Another date, _I thought and caught myself smiling. Wednesday couldn't be upon me fast enough.

**Reviews are like hugs. I love 'em. **


	15. Misery without Company

**A/N: A little late, but it's here! **

**Thank you, maniacalmuse, for your skills! **

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**Chapter 15 Misery without company.**

After work, I sat down in my car and paired my phone to the Bluetooth sound system, in need of some heavy guitar riffs to unwind. The drive home was pretty uneventful, and I arrived home faster than usual. The fact that I'd worked overtime and it was close to seven p.m., rather than rush hour, surely had something to do with it.

My stomach growled, reminding me of my poor decision not to eat anything after eleven this morning. I was so busy with editing all day and helping Alice put together the book tour that the hours just flew by. When three p.m. rolled around, I figured I might as well not bother at all and have an early dinner instead. Unfortunately, early was no time to leave work today and I really needed some food in my system now. I stopped at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants and picked up an order of fried rice and shrimp, realizing it would probably last me for about two dinners. At that moment, I thought about Edward and the mega-sized order of spaghetti we'd shared on our first date. It made me smile when I recalled his little trick. I'd texted him quite a lot today and assumed the both of us didn't really like our time spent apart, but tomorrow was Wednesday, so I'd meet Edward at his gym. I was already looking forward to it.

Entering my home, I stretched my neck and shoulders, sore from sitting behind my computer the entire day, and kicked off my shoes, abandoning them next to the front door. I couldn't be bothered to change out of my work clothes, since I was too hungry to care about being comfortable or not. Grabbing a bowl out of one of the cupboards overhead, I scooped up a generous amount of the heavenly smelling takeout and popped it in the microwave to make sure it was as hot as I liked it.

My mind drifted to my date before work tomorrow, anxious to see my Warrior again. I was genuinely glad I didn't have to accompany him into the gym for an actual workout, although I should probably try to be a little more active. I just didn't want to make a fool out of myself, huffing and tomato-faced next to my perfect, sculpted boyfriend.

_Wait, was he even my boyfriend? Were we exclusive? Was he seeing other people? _

There really wasn't much of an actual date within our planned activities the next morning, but the fact that we both needed to get to work on time meant we would probably keep it _very _PG. I snorted at myself. Edward got me riled up without trying, without even being here.

I was interrupted by the beeping of the microwave. Almost burning my fingers, I carried my bowl of yummy goodness to the couch. The silence in my apartment was enjoyable, helping me wind down after the hectic day I'd had. Just as I began to relax and savor my dinner, my phone broke my solitude.

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath when I noticed my mother's picture lighting up the screen.

"Hi, mom," I greeted her, trying to sound upbeat.

"Bella, I'm calling to ask why I haven't heard from Jake. He still hasn't confirmed for the wedding," she started and I already wished I could smother myself with a decorative pillow. I hadn't told her yet that Jake and I were over for good. I'd never told her about all the other times we were apart, so she probably had no idea that the guy she used to like wasn't going to come to the wedding of the daughter she also actually liked. Seriously, she talked more to him than to me the few times they'd met.

"Because he's not coming. It's over between us," I informed her, bracing myself for the shit storm that was about to hit. To be honest, I hadn't really thought about the guy since I came clean to Edward. I was so over Jacob Black it was annoying to talk about him.

"Oh, no! You can't be serious?" She gasped audibly. "You _finally _had a good one there, Bella. What is wrong with you?" I didn't want to test her temper any further and kept my mouth shut. She took my silence as a cue to keep hitting me over the head with insults, clearly not happy with my choice.

"You know, don't even bother with bringing anyone," she spat. "Not one of your girlfriends, not Rose and certainly not a total stranger." I could kiss my little getaway with the support from Edward goodbye. He was the only one who would make the entire charade of 'true love' tolerable. I couldn't even bring Rosalie with me since my mother didn't like her, honestly. Mom and Rose had a fight once, their voices echoing through my mother's kitchen, loud enough to crack the tiles on the backsplash. It'd been a silent, cold war between them ever since, and I admired Rose for kicking my mother in the proverbial nuts.

"I met someone, mom. Why can't I bring him? Everyone's can bring a plus-one and your own daughter has to show up alone?" I dared, pulling one hundredth of a Rosalie on her.

"Because it's an intimate family event, and I don't want any strangers lurking around. And everyone else can, Bella, because they don't seem to change partners as much as you do. You make life seem like a game." She was unrelentless.

My eyes widened at the harsh tone and words of my mother. "Excuse me?" Renee was really getting on my nerves now.

"Like the one you just met will stick around now. You always seem to find a reason to dump their asses or do something that makes them leave. You know you're not relationship material, darling. I thought that Jacob was perfect for you. Everyone liked him, and you let him walk away. You guys looked happy, he was good for you. Kept you grounded, looking ahead. You did the same with Mike—walking away from something good and sustainable. I don't even want to know how many other guys you so-called met." I felt tears welling up, burning my eyes but I refused to let myself slip and grow weak. There was no way that I would cry on the phone to my rash, judgmental mother. "It's a family function, Bella." she said, her tone cold and distant. I couldn't really believe it. My own mother made me feel dirty, sleazy.

"Right." I cleared my throat, wishing this conversation could be over already.

"I've got to go," I croaked. Fuck my voice and fuck these angry tears welling up. Renee could probably hear me breaking down.

I barely said goodbye to the woman who gave me life, disgusted with the way she always managed to make me feel like shit.

My phone flew across the couch; I wished I'd never picked up in the first place. The dinner in front of me had lost its appeal, my stomach suddenly upset. I pushed the bowl away, and I put my feet on the couch, hugging my arms around my knees. A lone tear escaped my eye, leaving a trail of embarrassment and anger on my cheek.

It was hard to imagine my mother as a caring, loving and reliable figure in my life. For years and years I've tried convincing myself that it was just her unhappy first marriage, that it was the lack of me having any more siblings—until Bree came along—or that it was the fact that Phil, husband number two, was away for work so much. It was foolish of me to blame myself for the way she was neglecting our mother-daughter bond, but after a while I stopped caring. At least, I thought I did. Now, Renee seemed to have ripped open the stitches I'd applied myself and the pain was back. I'd gotten used to taking care of and fending for myself, but sometimes I just wished I had the kind of mother that you see on TV. Where there's dinner on the table whenever you visit, hugs and real conversations.

Thinking about my past, I recalled the men who I thought would turn me into a perfect girl, the wife I thought I had to become and the daughter that could make my mother proud. To be fair, she never seemed to care unless I was in a relationship. Her perfect little second family wasn't complete with just Bella. It needed husbands, careers and obnoxiousness. I guess it didn't need Bella at all. Renee, Phil and Bree seemed perfectly content and happy in their little American Dream.

I was normal, so to say, up until men came around, actually. In high school, I was the girl who liked studying and reading more than mindless chatter and gossip or social endeavors. Boys only seemed to notice me after that one summer my boobs came in. I huffed, remembering the attempts of Josh, suddenly picking me as first choice in P.E. and asking me to join their table at lunch. I sucked at P.E. and he sat at the table with the cool artsy kids. Josh seemed particularly irritated when I agreed to go to the dance with Mike instead. An evening of flirting, juvenile covering of the hypothetical bases, then continued for about three months into our little relationship until he popped my cherry. When I think about it now, it was a pretty good relationship for a seventeen-year-old. We were actually friends, able to talk and laugh together and at the time I thought the sex was all right as well. The first time didn't even hurt, even though all the girls and magazines warned you it would. Back then, my mother liked Mike, since his parents were rather successful small business owners. Things ended between us the summer he'd gone off to college. Mike's mom, a total sweetheart, asked me to come work in their shop, feeling a little sorry for me that I wasn't going on a college adventure for some decent education. I kindly rejected, knowing I was going to break up with her darling son later that week and I didn't want to have to explain myself to her. Mike didn't take our breakup very well. He didn't understand that I wanted him to be happy and carefree, no strings tying him to his girlfriend, so he could enjoy every aspect of his new life. Even though he was persistent in calling me almost daily and texting and mailing me several hundred times a week, his texts and phone calls died slowly, making me assume he'd moved on.

Being the social-media spy I am, I religiously kept tabs on every one of my high school buddies, including ex's. Josh is gay and owns a Mexican food truck somewhere in Michigan, Mike's married to the girl he met in freshman year in college. They built a house together and last time I checked, had a baby on the way. I was truly happy that a lot of the people I was close with ended up happy, content. Most of them were dating or married, and a handful of them already had kids. It was hard for me to imagine myself being a married mother by now—I just couldn't see it.

After Mike and high school, I got to L.A. and started working at one of the many diners. Later on, when I turned twenty-one, that turned into bartending. I picked up some guys when I felt like it and didn't have any real relationships again until I dated Jacob Black at twenty-three. Everything was good, sex was great but all the rest was swiftly going downhill. We fought, made -up and fought again, broke up and fucked again. Renee seemed to be fondt of Jake though., Sshe used to think he was 'the one,', and I just broke that bubble for her.

The fact that she didn't even want to meet Edward, after I just made a big deal out of it by telling her I'd met someone, was just cruel. I should never should have asked her. What's not to like about the guy? He's absolutely gorgeous and smart, witty and thoughtful. If my mom did the least bit of trying, she'd be over the moon withabout him, especially since he could give Jacob Black a run for his money in _every_ department.

By now, the tears ran freely over my cheeks, smearing my mascara all over my face. I decided to take a shower, scrubbing my worries and misery away in the comfort of a steamy glass box. I hated self-loathing, but whenever it concerned my mom, it felt like there was no other way. She never understood me or, my choices, and never bothered to try., Iit was excruciating at times.

I was sobbing in the shower, leaning back against the cold tiles and my head tilting up towards the hot stream of water, cleaning the black smudges off my face.

Eternal bachelors are often praised for their freedom, conquests and lifestyle, but as a young woman, you're frowned upon. People judge and people talk behind your back. I should just stop thinking and live, but somehow other people's opinions of me is something I care about. I never seemed to be able to commit and I didn't want to make that mistake again. What I felt for Edward, I've never felt before in my life.

I let my shower drag on, washing my hair elaborately. When I was done, I wrapped myself in the biggest, fluffiest towel I owned and didn't even bother with my blow-dryer.

Once I was in some soft, cotton pajama pants and a tank top, I went and grabbed my phone. I'd put it on airplane mode, so I wouldn't hear any buzzing or jingles while I tried to pull myself together.

I cradled the phone in my hands, desperately wishing Edward was here with me. His strong embrace made me feel less like the slut my mother accused s me of to being. He madekes me feel at ease, at home and even loved. It didn't matter to me if he saw us as something only for the time being. Of course, I wanted nothing more than to see Edward right now, to have him tell me he wanteds me as well. I knew better than to bother him right now, or at all, though. Maybe it was for the better that he wouldn't have to meet my mother. She'd make a fool out of me, a mockery of our new, still frail relationship. No, I wasn't going to go and disturb Edward, but I couldn't contain my fingers from tapping a message out to him.

**Can't wait to see you tomorrow. I miss you.**

I waited a couple of minutes and sighed deeply before retreating to my bedroom, curling myself up under the blankets. My phone buzzed, the minute I flipped open my notebook open.

**Warrior: Baby, me too. Crazy week already, doing so many hours. **

Somehow his words already made me feel a little better. Edward and I weren't made up in my head. We were real, growing toward each other. His wanting to take it slow was messing with me for sure. Isn't it normal that you want to spend all your time together? That you can't keep your hands off each other? I groaned, mad at myself for my dramatic behavior.

I put the phone on my nightstand and picked up my pen and notebook. It had been a while since I felt the need to write poetry., I didn't even mean to do it, the words just kept on flowing.

_I was lost in thoughts,_

_in my fantasy world.  
Dreaming of days,_

_better than this poor reality._

_I was lost,_

_like a poem in translation_

_as flowers in winter_

_as my heart_

_without you._

I stared at the page in front of me, deciding I needed to stop beingfeeling so damn sorry for myself. My mother didn't care? Her loss, not mine.

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A/N: who wants to hit Renée right now?

Rec of the Day: The Dark Lust by maniacalmuse. My lovely Beta has a new WIP. Run and read! Tell her I said 'hi'!

I have a new story up! The continuation of my entry for the TFN Inked contest.

PF


	16. Hit And Run-in

**A/N: Hi lovelies! First and foremost I'd like to apologize for the late update! I know -it's been a while, but there were some personal issues.**

**Big thank you to the best girl in town: maniacalmuse for editing the sh** out of this chapter. I was a bit all over the place when I wrote it.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 16****: ****Hit and Run-in**

My alarm woke me way too early. My eyes felt heavy and swollen from crying all last night, thanks to my mother. I stretched my arms above my head and let out a yawn, then unplugged my phone from its charger and checked my messages. Edward had a way of healing me; seeing his name on my screen always made my stomach flutter excitedly.

**Warrior: Never been more glad to go to the gym, I hope Emm keeps me busy enough not to count the minutes until you're there : ) **

**Just woke up, couldn't agree more… Can't wait to see you. **

With a smile on my face, I jumped out of bed and dragged myself to the bathroom. I took a quick, refreshing shower and put on my makeup, humming some annoying tune I'd had stuck in my head all week. It was one of Rose's lovesick pop songs—curse her and her awful taste in music.

I took a glance in the mirror on my way to put on my shoes, glad I picked the long-sleeved blazer dress with gold buttons. It hit me about mid-thigh, but was conservative enough otherwise to wear around the office. I paired it with a pair of black, peep-toe heeled boots. I knew Victoria didn't make tattoos in the workplace an issue, so I felt comfortable enough and I had a feeling Edward would like it. I tucked a stray strand of my hair behind my ear and headed out to catch my Uber.

Traffic was okay-ish. It was the crack of dawn, and I assumed most people were still at home getting ready for work. I smiled, looking out the window and letting all my anger toward my mother go, unwilling to let her control my life any longer.

It was pushing seven a.m. when the car dropped me off in the parking lot of Edward's gym. I shot a glance in the front camera of my phone to make sure I didn't have any lipstick on my teeth or anything like that. Just as I stuffed the phone into my purse, I heard a familiar voice call out my name. I looked up, surprised to see Jacob strolling toward me with a bag thrown over his shoulder.

"Hey, man! How are you?" I asked, walking forward and meeting him halfway. He smiled at me, running a hand through his newly cropped, short black hair. "I can't believe you cut your hair!"

"Yeah, well ... it was about time I got a more mature look." He shrugged. "I'm good by the way, golden. How are you, Bells?" His smile gleamed, and he held out his arms for a hug. I hesitated but leaned into it, patting him awkwardly on the back.

"I'm good, Jake, golden," I repeated his words, wiggling my way out of his embrace. I didn't want to give Edward the wrong impression if he came out and found me talking to Jacob. There was not a single spark left between him and me, and I was so glad my heart seemed to have caught up with my head after all these years of back and forth.

"So what are you doing here anyway? You look a little too dressed up for the gym, and as far I know, you hate working out," Jake said and then laughed at me, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He was wearing one of those douchebag muscle tops, with the armholes cut so big it barely covered his pecs. He was such a showoff. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Oh, I'm actually w—" My speech was interrupted when I spotted my Warrior walking toward me. His hair was damp from a post-workout shower, his glasses framing his emerald-green eyes, and he was unshaven and wearing a black leather jacket over a gray dress shirt with the top few buttons left undone. Edward looked absolutely mouthwatering and effortlessly handsome. I was smiling like a crazy person by the time he reached me, draping an arm around my waist and pulling me tightly to his side. He hadn't looked me in the eyes yet, his were trained on Jacob, looking him up and down. I swear I could feel the hate dripping from his gaze.

Surely, hecouldn't actually be _jealous_, right?"I'm waiting for this guy right here actually." I giggled and couldn't keep my eyes off Edward, who finally shot me one of his charming grins. "Edward, this is Jacob Black. Jake, this is Edward," I introduced the two. Jake eyed Edward curiously, a smug grin on his face while his eyes darted between us both.

"Her boyfriend," Edward chimed in. _Oh, what did he just say? What was his deal?_

Jacob just burst out laughing, as if I wasn't agitated enough by their little alpha-male dance off. "Oh man, you shouldn't do that to yourself," Jake spat at Edward. My eyes widened and I gripped the back of Edward's jacket tightly, so I wouldn't give in to the urge to swing a fist in Jacob's direction.

"What the fuck, Jacob?" I asked him, feeling the rage inside me tint my face. I cursed the blushing genes of my father—I was both a happy and an angry blusher. I did not appreciate my body betraying me like this right now. Edward looked like he was about to pop a vein in his forehead, his grip on my waist tightening and on the verge of painful.

"Dude, you know you're only torturing yourself, right?" Jacob went on to Edward, ignoring me completely. "You shouldn't label your little _thing _anything it isn't." He laughed again.

"What is your fucking problem, man?" Edward almost growled at Jake. My gaze shifted between the two of them rapidly. Surely they didn't even know each other? Then why was Edward being this aggressive toward Jake, and vice versa? I had thought Jacob was happy now, without me.

"It's not my problem anymore, you know. I let her go and you should get used to that idea as well. She tends to run off whenever there are labels involved. I'm just giving you the heads up." Jacob's brown eyes met mine, and they were filled with rage. I thought we parted on good terms. What had gotten him all riled up like this? A minute ago, we were just fine.

Edward fired the first shot. "What would you know about that? From what I hear, you had just as much say in your breakup as she had. It's not her fault that you can't seem to understand not everyone's idea of an ideal future is to live in a trailer in their father's backyard." Jacob hated it when people went off on him or his family, and Edward had just done both and called the cottage a trailer. Yikes.

"Guys, please settle down." I snuck out from under Edward's arm and pushed Jacob in the chest, not able to control myself any longer. Jake was still ignoring me, though, glaring at Edward over the top of my head.

"Oh yeah. What have you got planned for your future then, Mister Big Shot? A mansion so big she could actually stand being in the same house with you because you'll be corridors away from each other?" Jacob made absolutely no sense. How did he and Edward know each other anyway?

"Sure, man. Bella wants a mansion. You don't seem to know her at all, do you? Is that why you kept trying to get her back? So you could tell her to 'stay' and be a good little wife? She's not a fucking dog, Jacob. She's not expected to do whatever you tell her to," Edward yelled. People leaving the gym were actually stopping in their tracks to stare at the three of us. Jacob and Edward were bickering like a pair of old bitties, making me feel like an absolute fool.

"Ever considered that you two didn't work out because you pushed her so far away and never wanted to do anything about her wants and needs?" Edward asked him, his fist inches away from Jake's chest. Jacob's laughter surrounded us. I honestly wished Jake hadn't laughed again. I could tell it only added to Edward's anger.

"Oh, like hell. Trust me, Loverboy, I tended to her _needs _just perfectly." He spat and I felt disgusted for ever having anything to do with his sleazy ass. What the hell was Jacob after?

"Okay!" I yelled and intervened. I pushed Jacob back, amazed by my own force. "That's it! This is over and done with. What's your deal, anyway? Can't get over the fact you couldn't get in my pants last time?" I'm sure the entire parking lot heard me but I didn't care. I didn't need Edward to fight my battles, and I didn't want Jacob fucking Black to throw any more dirt over my Warrior. He was the good guy. I could see he was struggling to keep himself in line, but he didn't need to do this for me. I could defend myself.

"You wish! Don't forget, half of the time it was _you_ knocking at _my_ door, remember?" he came back at me, shoving me away from him. I spotted Edward balling his fists. I put one hand on his chest, silently telling him 'I've got this'.

"The world doesn't revolve around Isabella Swan, you know. I have Leah now, my actual girlfriend. She never plays me, listens to me and my needs for a change, and boy, what a difference compared to being with you. A complete breath of fresh air," Jacob lashed out. I narrowed my eyes and balled my fists at my side, my handbag strap falling from my shoulder. I didn't are how crazy I looked. I took deep breaths, willing myself to calm down, aware of Edward's hand on the small of my back, trying to pull me back to him and away from Jake.

"Just leave her alone, dude," Edward tried to reason with him. He looked just as angry as I did, only scarier.

"I am leaving her the fuck alone. She fucking showed up here. I was glad I didn't see her again, honestly. And her stupid mother kept calling me, texting me to go to that obnoxious wedding. Obviously the bitch isn't over me when she hasn't even had the guts to tell her own mother she broke up with me." I saw red. The words 'bitch' and 'mother' coming from Jacob's mouth made me lose all control. Out of nowhere, I felt a sharp sting in my hand and Edward's arms around me.

"You fucking hit me?! What the fuck, Bella?" Jacob touched his cheek, his jaw dropped, and his eyes were spitting fire.

"Yeah, I fucking hit you because you're a total asshole! Good luck with your Leah, loser. I can't believe you talk about me like that! I thought we were supposed to be friends? It's what you wanted, anyway. By the way, I _have_ told my mother about us breaking up. I honestly don't see why I stuck with you for so long," I spat and turned to Edward who looked around nervously, shaking his head at some guy in the parking lot. From this distance and the tall, well-built silhouette in the shade, I figured it was his brother, Emmett.

"What's that, do you need your babysitter-bodyguard to help you?" Jacob said to Edward, who glared at him. _So his brother was actually still out here?_

"Seriously, fuck off." Edward put his arm around me in an attempt to lead me away from the scene.

"Wait until you just don't do it for her anymore. You'll be glad I warned you," Jacob stated and turned around to walk away. I stood there, flabbergasted and feeling totally unhinged. I had no clue why he was suddenly expressing so much hatred toward me. This was not the Jake I knew, or even the one I befriended all those years ago. This Leah must have something to do with this. He had seemed completely fine when we parted ways.

Edward put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest, his chin leaning on the top of my head. I was actually shaking.

"I am completely capable of defending myself, Edward. I don't need anyone to come in and be my knight in shining armor." I heard myself say it, but couldn't comprehend why I was being so hard on him. After all, I had brought all this upon myself and Edward hadn't done anything wrong. He'd just tried to defend me, to stand up for me. I should have just accepted that instead of behaving like an ungrateful maniac. I was mad at him for trying to be there for me? How fucked up could one person be?

"I know you can. I just, I—" Edward began, sighing deeply. "I just want you to be safe. I want to keep you safe." He smiled at me, shrugging and looking flustered. Edward was unbearably cute when he got embarrassed.

"You smell so nice," I mused, closing my eyes and pressing my face against Edward's chest. He smelled like a man. Sandalwood and a hint of something heavier, mixed with fresh soap and the leather of his jacket. Edward was my new favorite smell. Here in the warmth of his embrace I felt secure again, not like someone's liability. I needed to stop this self-pity party and get on with our plans for the morning. I clutched him tightly to me, my hands trapped on his back between his leather jacket and his shirt, desperate to feel him against me.

"Oh baby, come here." His fingers pushed my chin up, forcing me to look at him. His expression was soft, sweet, and all Edward Cullen. I loved that look, craved those eyes staring into my own because they always made me feel at ease. I loved everything about him. He pressed his lips against mine gently and I melted into him. It had been too long since I'd held him, since I felt his kiss and since I'd been around him in general.

"I'm sorry," I said to him as I pulled away, shaking my head.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Come on, let's get out of here now." He pulled my hand, leading me to his car. We drove in silence, and I could feel tension between us somehow. Edward didn't tell me anything about his reasons to go off at Jacob and that felt out of character for him. I didn't want to kill the good vibes I'd gotten from our hug outside the gym, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Are you?" I asked meekly, my voice barely audible. I couldn't unhear his words from earlier; they were ringing in my ears and floating in my head.

"Am I what?" Edward turned his head to me, a curious expression on his face.

"My boyfriend?" He almost drove into the intercom pole of the Starbucks drive-through but swerved, gripping the steering wheel firmly with both hands. I suppressed a little giggle.

"Baby…" Edward sighed. He glanced in his rear-view mirror, but luckily no one was behind us yet. "You'll have to figure that out, you know. I need to know if this is going somewhere, my feelings for you are way too strong for this to be a casual thing." Edward was baring his soul to me as the sun rose, next to the Starbucks breakfast menu. This was hardly the time nor the place for us to be having this conversation.

"Mine are too, Warrior. Honestly, I just need to think. Can we talk about us later? Maybe tomorrow before we go out to meet my friends?" I tried, feeling a little bad and wondering what I'd done to make him feel so insecure about us. After all, it was Edward who wanted to slow things down. He nodded and shot me a little smile. My charming Warrior was back, only a hint of insecurity in his green eyes.

"What sort of breakfast do you want?" He asked me, turning the volume of the music in his car down. I shrugged. "Whatever you like best. I'm down for anything, surprise me." I wiggled my brows which earned me a snort and another mind-numbingly gorgeous smile as he pulled up to the menu board.

Edward parked his beast of a car around the building and handed me a brown paper bag. "I hope you'll like it," he said proudly when I opened it. Inside was a sausage, cheddar, and egg sandwich. The smell of hot breakfast foods filled the car, making my mouth water.

"I love sausage, so you've done excellent," I blurted out. Edward started laughing, and then I replayed what I'd just said in my head. Oh, damn.

"Yeah, I know you do, baby." Edward chuckled and took a bite of his breakfast, the same order as mine.

"Oh, you like sausage, too?" I teased, watching him enjoy his sandwich. '"That's weird, I thought you'd be more of a taco person." Then I watched him almost choke to death, his eyes mischievous and bright.

"If you keep it up, I'll never get you to work. Now eat your sandwich and have some coffee," he muttered, shaking his head with that smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, Sir. Sorry for spoiling your breakfast," I said jokingly. I bit my lip, imagining what he'd rather do besides drive me to work. I'm sure this car would have a great backseat. The spacious interior would be perfect for some after-breakfast relaxation. I saved that information for later and continued to enjoy my food and the heavenly coffee.

"I honestly wish we could sit here all day, but I'm afraid I'm headed into late-for-work territory if we don't get you to your office right away," Edward said, drinking the last of his coffee. I nodded at him, glancing at the clock. He had to be at work in about forty minutes, and we were really pushing our luck with the L.A. rush hour. Respecting the cleanliness of his car, I gathered all the wrappers and stuffed them into one bag. I'd take it to the nearest trash bin when I got to the office building next.

"Can you come over early tomorrow?" I asked him as we drove up the street where my office was located.

"Anything for you." Edward smiled softly and took my hand in his, pressing a kiss on my knuckles.

The words were there, at the tip of my tongue, but somehow they choked me. _I love you, _my brain cells shouted, echoing all through my body.

"Could you, maybe, if you wanted to ... I mean, it's totally fine if you don't but—" I babbled on, taking a deep breath to gather my thoughts.

"Yes, baby?" Edward's amused expression make my heart flutter even more.

"Stay the night, please?" was all I said. His megawatt smile shook me to my core. I loved that smile. How I loved that man, but couldn't say it. Was that normal?

"I honestly wouldn't want anything more than that. I know I told you I wanted to take it slow, but truth be told, I just can't stay away from you. Could we pretend I never, ever said that? Please, baby?" he pleaded. His boyish enthusiasm and the loving, yet lustful look on his face did things to me.

"I'd like that. I'll see you tomorrow then? Text me, okay? I'll miss you too much if you don't," I said sweetly, lifting up in my seat so I could lean over the central console to kiss him.

"It's been a while since I've gone a day without texting you, Enchantress." His kiss was sensual, slow, and made me want to crawl into his lap and _do him_, right then and there. I didn't care that my colleagues or security could see. Before I could throw my panties at Edward's head and unleash my inner sex-kitten, he broke our kiss, leaving me breathless, aroused, and utterly frustrated.

"That dress should be illegal, you know. You look fucking magnificent," he commented. I smiled cockily, because I knew he'd like the outfit.

"Then you should see what I'm wearing underneath." I winked at him and opened the passenger door of his Lexus.

I'd taken a dirty little selfie earlier when I was getting ready, and I was already so excited to send it to him. By the look on his face, he was as well. His eyes darkened, and he reached out for me when I got out of the car, pouting.

"You better start driving, Warrior. Or you'll be late for work. Thanks for the lovely morning, this breakfast definitely made up for the asshat-intrusion," I said and waved at him. He shot me another smile and saluted me, tipping an imaginary hat before he drove off.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! I'd like to take a moment to thank all the reviewers! It seriously makes me so, SO happy whenever I get one in my inbox :D **

**A lot of you don't want Bella to go to Bree's wedding, but let me admit something: I love me a little drama ;) **

**Rec of the day:**

**Black Ice Series by ladylibre. So far, there are BI and the sequel: The Polar Ends. To be honest, I read it all in like a week. I loved it so much! Go review and tell her I said hi ;) **

**See you in the next one! Reviewers get a little teaser! **


	17. Tension Relief

Hey peeps! I know, it's been a while again, but life is busier than we want sometimes ;)

Big cheer for **maniacalmuse**, my goddess in shining grammar *that's a thing now*

* * *

WOP

Chapter 17: Tension Relief.

Victoria had me running around the office all morning, fetching samples and itineraries for Jane's upcoming book tour. I truly felt like I was going mad with all the stress. Alice had pulled some strings, securing a handful of really prestigious locations, which Jane would love without a doubt.

Around eleven, I messaged Edward the picture I took earlier. His reply was almost instant, telling me I was lucky he hadn't put his phone on the desk during a meeting, or he wouldn't have been the only one with the tempting view. I stifled a laugh as I imagined him at his desk, looking at my photo. It was tame enough though, just a full-length mirror shot of me in my dark green lace matching bra and panties. The ones I bought because the color reminded me of his eyes.

**I told you I liked green. It****'****s my new favorite color ;)**

**Warrior: Knowing that****'****s under the sinful dress makes me slightly uncomfortable. How many male colleagues work at your office again?**

**Psshh, don****'****t sweat it. Don****'****t be jealous, they don****'****t have anything I want. You, on the contrary, have everything I want****… **

**Warrior: You do realize your picture did all sorts of things to me, right? **

**It must be hard****… ****To be you *snickers***

**Warrior: It is very hard. **

**Hmm… ****Good to know I can still excite you from a distance ;)**

**Warrior: How could you not. You saw what it did to me up close, Enchantress. **

**I might need a replay of that, my Warrior. **

**Warrior: You****'****ll get a play-by-play tomorrow, Isabella.**

I smiled at my phone, wishing it was tomorrow already. He made me giddy and horny as a teenager.

At lunchtime, Victoria forced me to take a break after she found me looking like an exhausted pigeon. I asked Alice to grab some food with me, but she was busy. Alice, being the eternal Cupid that she is, immediately gave me the best idea ever: surprise Edward with lunch at his office. I smiled at her genius and immediately made my plans.

I flew out of the building, into the deli across the street, and picked out two different kinds of pasta salads since I wasn't entirely sure which one Edward would like best. Luckily for me, there was an empty Uber two minutes away, and just like that I had departed for my impromptu lunch date with my Warrior. I had to admit that my heart was racing when the sign for Current Design came into view. _What if he was already having lunch? Would he even appreciate the fact that I showed up at his place of employment with no warning? _After all, we'd had a little spat earlier about the whole Jacob debacle, though this lunch would give me the opportunity to apologize properly.

I pushed my worries aside as I entered the sleek, glass-faced building. Current Design was located in a quite modern-looking unit shared by five companies. Edward's office was on the fourth floor, so I made a beeline for the elevator only to discover that I first needed to pass through the security gates that lead to them.

"Hi, how can I help you?" a man behind the desk greeted as I approached. His long, dark hair was pulled into a tight, neat ponytail, and he wore a dark uniform. Aro, his name tag said.

"Hi, I'm here to see a _friend_. He forgot his lunch so I thought I'd do him a favor and bring it by." I smiled sweetly, hoping I'd get in and get some directions to where I could find Edward. I wasn't really sure if there was any sort of protocol about going up to visit someone.

"Oh, sure. If you can sign this visitor's sheet, I can validate a badge for you. What floor do you need?" Aro asked me, slipping an iPad my way where I scribbled my name and signature with a stylus.

"The fourth, please." Aro nodded and scanned a plain white badge before handing it to me.

"All settled, you can go up now. Have a nice day, Isabella," he smiled, reading my name before tending to the phone that was ringing loudly on his desk.

The elevator doors opened on the fourth floor and I was greeted by sleek-looking blonde manning an equally sleek, glossy white front desk. Her hair was loose and pin-straight, framing her face perfectly.

"Hi, I'm here to see Edward Cullen, but it's a surprise. I brought him lunch." I smiled and held up the paper bag from the deli like an over enthusiastic puppy. The woman just glared at me, one pale, arched eyebrow scolding me intensely. _Geeee, what__'__s her deal?_

"Hopefully he likes surprises, then," she said curtly, crossing her arms in front of her chest and amplifying the already extravagant amount of cleavage on display.

"Could you maybe show me the way?" I asked in an attempt to stay polite. She rolled her eyes at me and just pointed in a general direction.

"I'm on my break now, besides, I'm not a P.A. Second corridor to the right," she told me with an uninterested tone, inspecting her bold, neon-colored manicure.

Clutching the paper bag in my hands carefully, I made my way to said corridor on the right, smiling at the curious faces all around me. Bringing someone lunch probably wasn't something that happened every day here. I smiled but bit my lip in attempt to look a little more put-together when I spotted Edward's messy hair, laughing loudly with the person next to him. Clearly, the two of them were having loads of fun. The black-haired man next to him whispered something into Edward's ear, causing his head to jerk up in my direction. Edward's wide grin turned into a breathtakingly beautiful smile when his eyes met mine.

"What... How did you get here?" he stuttered cutely, staring at me like he'd just seen the sun for the very first time.

"Took an Uber. I thought you might be hungry," I replied, holding the bag from the deli in front of his eyes.

The man sitting next to Edward's desk cleared his throat, looking back and forth between the two of us.

"Right. I'm an ass," Edward began, motioning his hand to me. "This is Bella. Bella, this is Eric, my trusty partner here."

"Aah, _Bella_," Eric mused, shaking my hand. He looked very kind with slightly Asian features and a shaggy, dark hairstyle. I could see where he got his hairspiration from when I saw him standing next to Edward. _The original is always so much better._

"Nice to meet you, Eric." I felt a little awkward, being watched by several people, and hoped we could get away for a little while.

"Victoria forced me to take a long lunch, so I figured I could bring you something yummy," I said.

Edward arched his brow. "Oh, you definitely did," he whispered and let his eyes travel along my body before he pressed a kiss onto my lips.

_He kissed me at work. Oh. My. God. With innuendo._

I felt myself blush and decided to look around a little, noticing the prints and papers thrown on Edward's desk. There were no pictures, except for one _very_ angry looking cat on his coffee mug. I could feel Eric's eyes on me when Edward rested his hand on the small of my back.

"I'm actually starving, you're lucky I haven't run out to get us some lunch," Eric joked, nudging Edward's arm. He rolled his eyes at Eric, who was eying the deli bag curiously.

Edward narrowed his eyes. "Dude, this one is mine. Get your own beautiful girl to fetch you food."

I laughed. "I promise to bring you something too if I ever do this again, Eric."

"Alright! Cullen, you hit the jackpot. Cute and considerate, count yourself lucky," Eric said, poking Edward playfully.

My Warrior rolled his eyes at his colleague before he turned and beamed at me. "Oh, don't worry about that, Eric."

Edward and I decided to go outside to eat, since the weather was quite nice. I was really happy he wanted to do that, because as much as I wanted to get to know the people he worked with — and liked to work with — I craved being alone with him. _Badly_.

"So, the blonde at the front desk seems… polite," I said to make conversation. Edward laughed loudly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yeah. Lauren is quite snippy. She asked me out once, but I bluntly declined her invitation and she's been pissed at me ever since. And since you're a beautiful woman asking for me, I bet it threw her off," he joked.

"That explains a lot. She's pretty, though." I shrugged, hating her already.

"She's okay. I only have eyes for you, Enchantress." Edward winked at me and the temperature suddenly rose, coating my face in shades of red.

We passed a group of his co-workers by the greenery near the building, but I was relieved when we walked around the corner.

"Is this okay?" Edward asked, motioning to one of the wooden benches. I nodded profusely, sitting down and patting the spot next to me. I unloaded our lunch, handing Edward one of the plastic forks and a napkin.

"Now, I didn't really know what you'd like, but I figured that you would like at least one of these," I said, holding up his two choices.

"Enchantress, I'd gladly eat _anything _you serve me," Edward said, his voice low and seductive. I almost jumped him right then and there. It seemed like too long since I felt his body on mine.

"Good to know," I winked, handing him the pasta salad with pesto and chicken since he seemed to be eyeing that one more, and got started on my own.

"I'm just gonna dive in and say that I'm sorry, Edward," I confessed, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. The whole situation at the gym this morning was giving me a stomachache. "I know you were just trying to help me, but this beef is between Jacob and me. I don't even know why you got so mad at him, but yeah. I want to apologize. I shouldn't have gone off on you about it. I know you were just trying to help."

Edward paused mid-bite, his mind seemingly drifting off elsewhere. "Listen, baby. You shouldn't apologize. At all. It was me, I was acting like a jealous caveman. You can defend yourself perfectly, I'm sure. But, that guy…" Edward shook his head and sighed.

"What about him? How do you know him, anyway?" I asked, putting my hand on Edward's thigh.

"The gym isn't that big, Bella. Plus, he used to get along very well with my brother until Emmett discovered Jake was a little too eager to learn about his steroid-regime," Edward stopped to give me a second to absorb his words. _Steroids? _"Yeah, Emmett is all about a healthy mind in a healthy body, so accusing him of taking stuff to bulk up is just blasphemous." Edward laughed.

"So Jacob takes certain substances that make his muscles expand more?" I asked, totally flabbergasted by the news. When I thought about it, he did seem a lot bigger than when I last saw him, and that wasn't even that long ago.

"Yeah, those expand. The rest… kinda shrinks." Edward scrunched his face in absolute disgust. I had to laugh at the little crinkles it created around his features.

"Okay. Next topic, because I definitely do not want to talk about Jake's dick," I said, sticking my fingers into my ears like a little kid.

"Fine. You want the real reason I hate him so much?" Edward leaned closer to me, frowning as he spoke and looking very serious. I simply nodded, urging him to go on. "Emmett and I like to do free weights and it's basically always the same crew on certain days. Whenever Jake was around, we all had to endure his rants about his thriving sex-life, about the hot-as-fuck bombshell brunette he was hitting it with, and then that he had to tell her off because she seemed to want more but all Jake was looking for was a decent fuck..."

Edward met my shocked gaze. "You have got to be fucking kidding me," I uttered. Suddenly, my appetite was gone.

"Yeah, I just didn't like the way he was talking about you, even though I didn't know it was you at the time. Then when you told me about your ex, who happened to be named Jake, I hoped it wasn't him. And today, when I saw him being such a total asshole, I put two and two together. I just hated him, so fucking much," Edward explained, his expression apologetic.

"You know, it's a good thing I don't want anything to do with him anymore," I sighed. "Jacob Black is a lying little bitch." My tone was filled with hatred. I could only imagine what he had said about me, but I didn't want Jake to taint my day any further. "I figured since he has another girlfriend now, he wouldn't be an issue anymore." I stuffed a forkful of pasta into my mouth, enjoying the flavors even though my stomach seemed to be a little upset.

"I'm so sorry, Warrior." I sighed, leaning my head against Edward's shoulder. I could feel him relax, his arm draping around my shoulder while he balanced the pasta container on his lap.

"It's okay, baby. I get it." He replied softly. I smiled and recalled the conversation from earlier in the car.

"So, are you?" I asked him, grinning widely, my face invisible to him.

"Am I, what, exactly?" Edward played. He knew exactly where I was going with this, it was the same question I asked this morning.

"You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess. But I told you to make up your mind, Bella," he scoffed, crushing me into his side and kissing the top of my head. I enjoyed the sunshine on my bare legs, feeling myself warm up after being inside an air-conditioned room the entire day.

"Do you want to be?" I pressed, biting my lip. I knew we were more than friends, for sure. I just wanted to hear him say it again.

"Oh, I want to be. I so want to be. I want it all with you, baby." His reply was so sweet and I could feel his words vibrate through my entire being, making my heart explode with happiness. I let out a deep sigh and lifted my head, gazing into deep pools of green before pressing my lips to Edward's. He sighed into our kiss, sliding his hand from my shoulder to the back of my neck, kissing me like he'd never done before, with so much tenderness it made my insides flutter. I pulled away, too quickly for my liking but I needed to answer him now, or I wouldn't — again.

"Okay," I said to him, watching his smile grow into a full-on cocky grin, all the way up to his eyes.

"You know what else boyfriends do?" I whispered into his ear as I put my hand on top of his in his lap. Edward shook his head. "They get seduced by their girlfriends into having hot, messy sex during lunch."

"Fuck this, I'm not even hungry anymore," Edward said and threw his container into the paper bag sitting next to me before attacking my neck with wet, little kisses.

Taking my hand, Edward lead me back into his office building and opened a door to the stairs leading to the underground parking garage.

"You thought you'd get away with sending me those pictures without any repercussions, Enchantress?" he crooned, busying himself by running his hands all over my body, snaking them under the fabric of my dress and over my lace-clad bottom.

"I never said I didn't expect any repercussions, Warrior." I gasped as he kissed underneath my ear. I leaned my upper back against the concrete wall, my harsh breathing echoing through the stairwell.

"Good," he said, his voice raspy. His hands abandoned my body again and searched for mine, tugging me along behind him until I saw his car in front of us. Edward led us into the space between the hood of the car and the wall, where he pushed me against the cool concrete.

"You'll have to be quiet, baby," Edward said as he nuzzled my neck, his hands roaming my body again while I clutched him tighter against me. It had been entirely too long since I had him this close to me. I didn't bother speaking, but hummed appreciatively when I felt him push my dress up over my hips. He pulled away to look at me, his eyes narrowed and hungry as he took in my lingerie. I felt smug; after all, the only reason I'd bought it for was him.

"You like it?" I whispered, working my fingers into his thick hair, massaging his scalp ever so slightly.

"I love it," he replied, looking into my eyes rather than at my scantily-clad lower half.

"Prove it," I dared him, lifting one eyebrow to call his bluff.

"You keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut, and I will," he growled and turned me around, the front of my body meeting the hood of his car. His urgency and roughness turned me on, panting heavily as I watched my breath fog the black, glossy paint of the Lexus.

I could hear the tearing of the condom wrapper, and the sound of his zipper lowering, pleased to discover my Warrior seemed somewhat prepared for something like this as my body began to overheat with anticipation. I shuddered and gasped in excitement when I felt his hand cup me, and he groaned into my hair.

"You've been thinking about this all along, haven't you? You're so fucking wet, you might have ruined those sinful little panties of yours." I let out a moan, far too loud for the open environment we were in and I whimpered as he took his hand off me.

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?" he snapped. I bit my lip in an attempt to shut myself up. If anyone found us here, it wouldn't be good. I had to contain myself, for Edward's sake. I just nodded again, my way of telling him I'd behave — or that I'd try to.

Edward's hand was back on me, rubbing me through the lace, the friction sending sparks of fire through me. I suppressed my noises, muffling them against my cotton-clad forearms that leaned on the hood of his car.

"I'm going to fuck you senseless now," Edward announced, his voice a harsh whisper, making goosebumps rise on my skin.

He moved my panties out of the way and I could tell he was being careful with the delicate fabric. I could feel the roughness of his jeans against my bare legs and I ground my ass against him impatiently.

The moment he entered me, it seemed like we both had trouble keeping our voices down. My whimper was met with his groan as filled me entirely. I'd missed this so much.

"How do you feel so fucking good," he murmured, one of his hands tight on my waist as the other snuck it's way to my chest.

Edward thrust into me forcefully, crushing my body against the car as my heart thumped wildly. The angle was perfect, his movements deliberate as I felt him hit me in that deep, deliciously heavenly spot — again and again.

"Touch yourself, baby," he pleaded. I leaned on one arm, the other hand sliding down inside the front of my panties. My clit was throbbing, my nerves on fire as I worked myself frantically. Our panting breaths were the only sound in the underground garage and I shut my eyes to absorb every single second of this escape from reality.

I could feel my muscles grow tighter and tighter, the familiar tingling sensation working its way through me. Edward cursed, burying his face into my neck, leaning some of his weight on me and slowing down his thrusts.

"I'm so close," I whimpered. "Don't stop, please." My plea was heard as he resumed his glorious torture, and he bit down on my shoulder to silence his own moans, the pain only adding to the sensation.

"I know, I can feel it. You're so fucking tight," he grunted.

It didn't take much more for me. The secretive, sneaky, dirty fuck against his car, Edward's cock driving me into oblivion, and me touching myself were almost too much. I bit down on my lip hard when my orgasm overtook me, my legs quivering. Seconds later, the familiar whimper left his lips as he buried his face into my hair, exhaling loudly. I could feel the harsh beating of his heart against my back as we both came down from our ecstasy. Too soon, Edward slid out of me and I turned around, readjusting my underwear and dress while he tied the condom and wrapped it in a paper towel.

"I ought to bring you lunch more often," I giggled as I pulled myself together. I could tell my hair was a mess as I smoothed it down with my hand.

"I might get fired when you do, though," Edward joked, checking the large, black watch on his wrist. "I'm kind of borderline late — again," he said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should get back as well, anyway. I, uh, I'll see you later?" I said hurriedly, feeling slightly embarrassed. Edward gripped my upper arms and looked me in the eye, shaking his head.

"Don't. Ever. Apologize. Not for anything like this. I wanted this as much as you did, trust me," he chuckled, causing me to smile.

"I could tell, Mr. Keep-Your-Mouth-Shut." I arched a brow while he pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose.

"Ah, now she acts as if she's mad," he murmured with a crooked smile. "Isabella, I know you liked _that_ as well, baby." He winked at me before taking me into his arms for a sweet and lingering kiss.

"I feel bad leaving you like this," he said, attempting to make my hair look less like I'd just been fucked hard in a parking garage. I snorted.

"I'm a big girl, I'll be fine," I assured him and took his hand, leading him back to the stairs to go to the lobby. Passing a trash can, he threw the condom in before going back up. Taking me outside, he greeted one of his co-workers with a nod of his head and a smile and kissed me softly.

"I'll see you before the party at my place?" I asked again, hoping he hadn't changed his mind.

"You can count on me, Enchantress. Even though I can't help but feel a little jittery. Meeting new people isn't really my strong suit," he admitted cutely.

"Well, your brother will be there too if that's any consolation," I noted. "Jasper's a very cool, down-to-earth-guy as well. So you'll have two guys to talk to when you feel emasculated by the inquisition of Rose and Alice," I chuckled, his horrified expression making me want to kiss his worries away.

"Is it going to be that bad?" Edward wondered, but I shook my head.

"Of course not, I was just teasing you. They'll love you, I'm sure." I almost said _"__As much as I do,__" _but managed to keep my word-vomit down for once. "Besides, they are the ones who should feel nervous," I told him.

"Why?" Edward's brow furrowed.

"Because you'll be the most important person there. You know, since you're my boyfriend and all." I beamed at him, knowing he'd like what I said.

"Why, Isabella. How I've longed to hear you say those words," Edward concluded and kissed my knuckles lovingly before pulling me into him, hugging the last of my doubts away.

* * *

YAY! They're officially dating now ;)

I finally read Ride & Prejudice by ClaireBamboozle. SUCH a damn good fic. I suggest you get reading if you haven't yet ;) 

Take care xo


	18. Chapter 18

OKAY.  
If anyone is still here, reading this, let me know? I've had some issues with this fic in terms of switching my outline into something that's worth your time reading. This chapter will be unbeta'd, and if you'd like to see the next chapters I'll get them to you -beta'd and all :D

* * *

Chapter 18.

EPOV

_I did not like Jacob Black._

_I hated him, passionately._

He thinks he's all that, with his bronzed skin, buffed body and stories —legends of all his conquests. I hated and despised him, even before I knew he was Bella's ex. Jake is a fairly common name after all. Every Monday morning, like clockwork, it was the Jacob Black-show at the free-weights section in the gym, the one day I dreaded coming and the one day Emmett hated since his little steroid Q&A with Jacob himself. He'd talk to his friends, Paul and Seth about their weekends, boasts about it while he didn't even bother to ask them how they were doing. Jacob would use his outside voice to inform us in the how's and what's of his Friday and Saturday evenings. He'd even go as far as telling everyone with a working set of ears in which room he had shown a girl all he was capable off and how hot she was. What he always managed to sneak in, was how his conquests told him how incredibly hot _he _was and the amount she'd screamed his name. Mostly, Jacob talked about the sex-on-legs brunette he'd known since forever. She had the longest legs he'd ever seen and a fuckhot bod, along with a crazy libido. The two of them had dated, for a couple of years apparently. After their official break-up, they morphed into friends with benefits, since—according to Jacob Black, she couldn't get enough of him. He yelled it over the rooftops that she'd always come crawling back for more, but that he recently pushed her aside for the wonderful Leah. Knowing that he was lying all that time, since Bella was the one to cut ties with Jake in the first place, made it even worse. The only good thing he did, was never telling anyone the names of his lovers —at least he had that much common sense, or he'd been slaughtering Bella's reputation, along with those of many other girls. Perhaps the reason why no one was supposed to learn the identity of the women that lay at him feet, was that he was lying. Bella told me he was looking for the one girl to settle down with, have kids with, and live in his father's backyard with —fucking pathetic.

When I saw Bella, talking to him in the parking, I wanted to burst out of my skin. I felt so stupid that I hadn't thought of him being the guy she used to be hung-up on, the one asshat who'd made her think she was incapable of having a steady relationship. The one she told me about, that he had cared for her when she was drunk out of her mind and even undressed her to tuck her in into his bed. Thinking about that night, made me almost nauseous as I imagined his hands all over her body, undressing Bella and laying his filthy eyes on her. I wanted to be there for her, but I hadn't been, it was one of my biggest insecurities. What if something was wrong, and she called him instead of me? I shook my head at the thought. Worst of all: Bella was the girl whose dirty laundry got thrown around at the gym. All his stories and all his talk was about _her. _How dare he defile her like that. Not one woman in this world deserves to be treated like that, it made me feel incredibly sorry for his new girlfriend Leah. At least with her around, my mind was at rest. He'd leave Bella alone, hopefully. The way Jacob looked at me in that parking lot made my skin crawl. He didn't even know me personally, but it seemed like I disgusted him. I know had no clue as to what kind of friend of person Jake was, but I knew what he'd done and what kind of guy it was. Paul and Seth never seemed to miss him if he didn't show up, anyway, talking and laughing even more when it was just the two of them. _Some friend._

Bella had been mad at me, furious even. I'd acted like an ignorant, childish prick. I almost got into a fight with Jacob, after all, before Bella raised her voice at us. It was beyond juvenile and totally not my style, I was embarrassed that I'd let it get to that. It was more Jacob Black's style, I imagined. But when I saw him shove Bella aside like that, all my cares flew out of my head. You don't treat a woman like that and you most certainly don't shove her.

I sensed Bella's heart shattering silence in the car this morning, the air thick with tension. Bella's anger was tinged with anger and it wore me down. It made me feel utterly stupid, I made a horrendous fool out of myself instead of just supporting my girl. _She could defend herself perfectly. _

My boss had been up my ass all morning for being slow and distracted. He wasn't used to Edward Cullen slacking around and he immediately discovered he didn't like it. I played it off as not having slept well, confiding in my work-friend, telling Eric all about Bella and what happened. Eric hadn't dated for over six years now, so he reveled in my story and in the way that we met. I told him he needed to get back in the game, although his situation wasn't that easy, since he was living with his grandmother to care for her, but I was sure he'd find the right partner someday. The conversation I had with Eric about Bella, about us, was the main reason he was being so damn awkward when my Enchantress showed up at work for lunch. It was a total surprise, unexpected and unannounced, but I was so happy to see her. It made her even more real, seeing her in my work environment, talking to Eric —who couldn't keep his eyes off her. I knew why though. Bella was borderline goddess-like with her delicate, yet strong features and her long, wavy dark hair. That dress she was wearing didn't really help either, it clung to her body perfectly, showing off her narrow waist, shapely legs —her tattoo and some cleavage, but the long sleeves even made the dress appear a little conservative.

Because of her dirty little snapshots, I also knew exactly was she was hiding underneath that dress, so when she told me she had something yummy for me, my mind couldn't do anything else besides roll around in the gutter. My hands were itching to peel that dress off Bella and see the alabaster of her skin against the deep green color of her underwear. I kissed her, right there and then, in the middle the office cubes, in front of my closest co-worker. It was amazing. It felt right. It was glorious. I didn't care who was looking —except for Lauren, I hoped she'd seen me planting one on my Bella and that she'd get the message that I wanted nothing to do with her, once and for all.

I took my girl out for lunch, in the fresh air and midday sunshine, where her hair would transform under its rays; coating dark chestnut with a reddish hue as her deep, brown eyes turned into melted honey. Bella's skin always seemed to gleam in the sunlight, soaking up the warmth and radiating it through her smiles.

Talking to Bella was great. We got along so well, we laughed together like buddies and she could always lighten my mood even if that meant she was kicking my ass in a video game. When Bella started talking about the Front Desk Bitch, I immediately told her about Lauren. She'd been sickly sweet before she asked me out —several times. I declined —several times. The most recent time she did, I bluntly told Lauren I wasn't interested and she should find a new guy to prey on. Lauren didn't seem to like me telling her off like that, and ever since she'd turned into a FCB, as Eric and I called her —A First Class Bitch. Bella told me she thought Lauren was pretty, her eyes cast down and looking away from me. I could sense she thought she couldn't compare to the sunkissed blonde, which almost made me laugh out loud. Lauren wasn't ugly, per se, but she had nothing on my Enchantress. The way Bella kept blushing whenever I complimented her was adorable. I'd never tire of seeing that, every time I made her blush was a battle I'd won, a wall she'd let down to accept me.

When Bella opened up the crumpled, paper bag she brought from a deli, I fell in love with her a little more. She brought me pasta salad with pesto, parmesan cheese and chicken... I tried to be polite about it though, although she gave it to me anyway. Still, I was glad I didn't just snatch the food out of her hands —I was that crazy about cheese, chicken and pasta. I wasn't lying when I told Bella I'd gladly eat anything she served me. And I wasn't exactly talking about food —just thinking about her, tasting her, made me hard as hell. Sex with Bella was phenomenal, but holding her hand while strolling around time made me feel equally as ecstatic, especially today. I felt so lucky to have her next to me, this wonderful human, inside an out. I was a little afraid she'd stop talking to me after this morning, after all, it'd been our first little spat. Luckily, it wasn't anything serious besides me being a total asshole, some Neanderthal who thought a woman couldn't defend herself. Bella was perfectly capable of telling Jake off herself, the punch she threw at him seemed to affirm that statement. I wish I could've taken a picture of Jake's face when she did, it was simply priceless. Still, I was glad Bella didn't hurt herself on the motherfucker's face.

At the gym, I got the first degree from my brother Emmett, asking about the mystery girl I took to his bistro. Apparently, word got out fast amongst his staff. I'd rolled my eyes at him when he told me I ditched family for a girl, so that had to mean at least something. I filled him in on everything Bella, but it all seemed to be old news to him, courtesy of Miss Rosalie Hale — recently the woman of Emmett's dreams and my girl's best friend. It still was so odd to me that we ended up dating two girls who were best friends, and neither of us knew one of them. Well, I guess I'd known my Enchantress for a while now, but since I hadn't seen her in real life before she came over to my apartment, that didn't really count.

Emmett was happy for me, glad I found a girl that seemed to make me want to settle down. My big brother was the only person who knew anything about my sex life, and he knew it was Tanya's fault that I never had a real girlfriend after everything that happened with her. First love sticks with you, so they say, although I was very ready to forget her. I was afraid though, afraid to get betrayed like that again, which made me stick to one-night stands. It filled the needs and wants. But it did nothing for my heart of soul. Everyone used to see me as a nerd, a total dork not worthy of their time, especially in school. In college, some girls seemed to be interested, but I kept to myself mostly, focussing on my job and my hobbies. Emmett wouldn't stop nagging about the fact that I needed to lay off the gaming and fooling around and focus more on work in order to one day own my company. He knew that was one of my dreams for the long-haul, being an entrepreneur himself only worked as an advantage. My brother had nothing but good advice for me, he had ever since we were little. Emmett was a goof, a brute, but had the biggest and kindest heart you could imagine. I was honestly so glad when he told me about Rosalie. It was time some love and good fortune came his way.

Something I also dreamt about for today and the very faraway future, was my relationship with Bella. I hate that I almost gave her a heart attack the night I explained to her how I felt. I could see it in her eyes, she thought I was getting rid of her. I was afraid to come on too strong, fucking Jacob Black had damaged her too much. Sometimes I didn't speak my mind, since I wanted to tell her how I feel, how much I liked —loved her, but I couldn't, not yet. My feelings could wait until my Enchantress was ready. I could express myself, muse online to get stuff off my chest, it always seemed to have helped. Since I didn't have a lot of friends in school, blogging had always been my coping mechanism. I adore words, hence my gaming name —WrithingForWords, and I couldn't believe I was dating an actual book editor in training. Books and poems were the perfect past-time, besides gaming. Lately, I'd take Bella over any of those things, of course. I knew Bella liked words too, since it's her profession, so maybe I should let her look at my blog sometime instead of writing about us, about her without her knowledge. Of course, I never posted real names or locations, that was all fictional and up to the imagination. The only person who knew about it, was my brother. Emmett had stumbled across my blog once when he was borrowing my laptop. I hadn't closed the tab of the web browser, giving him the immediate access to my latest and most raunchy blogpost to date. My first time with Bella. At first, Emmett thought I was writing fiction, but as he went on asking questions about what I'd done the night before and whether or not I had a date, he completely figured me out. He couldn't believe his little brother had such knowledge of the female anatomy. He even asked me: 'are the piercings real, though?', muttering something to himself that I didn't even want to know. The amount of followers I had seemed to increase rapidly the moment I started writing about my Enchantress. People were interested, and well... Sex sells, even though it was on paper and I only did this for myself; some kind of journal. I briefly thought about taking the blog down, or setting it on private, but it wouldn't have the same kind effect on me. Readers were giving me their input, their advice.

A smile appeared on my face when I recalled my lunch date with Bella again. Her question stared me in the face again: 'Are you my boyfriend?' The way she asked in the morning was a little harsh, since she was agitated with me and my behavior. Plus, I kinda spoke out of line, calling myself her boyfriend when she introduced me to Jackass Jake. At lunch, her words were soft, as were her eyes, carefully prodding at me and what I wanted. I left it up to her, cuddling her to my side, but she wasn't having any of that crap. Instead, she asked me if I wanted to be. _Wanted_? Of course I wanted to be her exclusive boyfriend, her Chosen One. It was all I hoped for at this moment, wishing she needed the same from me, the promise that there'd be no one else. I told her so, carefully choosing my words to express to her I craved everything with her, which meant whatever she was willing to give me. The way she'd looked at me, made my heart burst at the seams. Her eyes were melted chocolate, the sunshine illuminating the gold specs that were there as well. Then she kissed me. A kiss so filled with love, I didn't even need to hear her answer. Any answer. It was all right there, softness, tenderness, truth. Embracing her, I put my heart and soul in that kiss. When she pulled away, her eyes gleamed wildly, uttering but one word. 'Okay.' It was so Bella, and it was so much for her to admit that she wanted me to be hers, so it was enough for me to burst out the cocky grin. I blamed the next thing I did on her, on the dress, the glances, the pictures of her in her ravishing emerald lace and just plain Isabella. My horny ass wanted my girl, especially since I could now call her mine, loud and proud.

On the outside, we just looked like a couple who walked back to work after lunch. But I knew my heart was thumping erratically, my cock was rigid and my mind was on only one thing. Feeling my girl wrapped around me, her warmth enveloping me and her hands on me. I needed it. I craved it. I longed for it. So I did the least romantic thing I'd ever done. Ever. I lead her to the company's underground garage where I'd parked my car and tugged her along with me. I told her about the pictures, that she should've expected me to jump her the first chance I got. She didn't seem to mind at all, not even when I pushed her against the rough walls of the stairwell, groping her like a teenager underneath her sinful dress. We couldn't do that here, there was too much of a chance of someone walking in on us. Although it did sound incredibly exciting to take my Isabella right then and there, I could't risk a trip to HR and possible repercussions. We'd had to that someplace else, maybe.

I pushed her against the hood of my car, like I was starving for her, my inhibitions and manners shoved aside completely, ushering her to be quiet. When I uncovered her underwear, I couldn't think anymore. It was too much, she looked too fucking sexy. I didn't care that my car was dusty, that any noises would echo through the parking garage like crazy and that we were sneaking around. The only thing it did, was turn me on even more. Why she asked me if I liked the lingerie, I didn't know. I loved it, and I made sure to show her my appreciation. She dared me to prove it to her, anyway. My girl liked to play dirty.

I had a lone condom in my wallet, and felt glad. Taking my Isabella bare was something I dreamed about daily, but since my girl wore a black dress and had to go back to work, I didn't want to risk making her feel uncomfortable later. Bella shuddered and moaned quietly before I'd even touched her and then it hit me. She had been up to this, she'd wanted this all along, her panties soaking wet when I touched her. Was this little rendez-vous what she planned as an after-lunch activity? Like I thought, she wasn't quiet. I pulled my hand back, which she didn't like and warned her again. She was being a good girl, using her own arms to suppress her noises. I loved it, the way her upper body was sprawled over the car, her legs shoulder-width apart and her body willing. I felt like a king, even more so when I finally entered her, the feeling of her around my cock intense and addicting. It felt too long ago since we did this last. My movements were hard, deliberate and I could tell she felt good by her hitched and panting breaths, but there was no way in hell I was going to last long, not long enough to make her orgasm, anyway. She touched herself and the muscles around me tightened, telling me it was the best idea I'd had today —apart from fucking my girlfriend in an underground garage. I wanted to slow down to make it last longer, but Bella told me not to stop, so I obeyed my lady, leaning down to kiss her neck, to be closer to her. The feeling of her, clamping around me and her silent moan and gasps were my undoing. I crashed on top of her, coming down from an intense orgasm, breathing hard, smiling like a lunatic against her back. I took in the smell of her shampoo and perfume, she smelled like flowers and warmth and sexiness. The clock was ticking though and we both had to get back to our daily activities, so I slid out of Bella's warmth and took care of her, pulling her panties back into place and smoothed out her dress. I stuffed the condom in a napkin I found in my jeans pocket and laughed loudly when Bella told me she'd bring me lunch more often.

I noticed Bella seemed hurried, probably worried someone would catch us, so I walked her back upstairs and outside where she told me she was sorry for what just happened. I thought she was going mental and told her I wanted that as much as she did. Bella was one of those girls who talked about the sex she just had with great ease, calling me out on my demands of her, pretending to be mad. Yeah right, she liked it, alright, her panties were still wet to prove my point.

Our kiss might have been a little too much at the workplace, but I didn't care. I told her I felt bad about leaving her like this: thoroughly fucked —literally and on her own. Like I'd just used her for my benefit, even if she was a willing enough participant. She told me she'd be fine, but I'd still preferred to take her home instead and spend the afternoon naked with her —not gonna happen, Cullen. You've got work to do. I noticed some of my co-workers going up to the office again, some of them lingering their gaze on me and my beautiful girlfriend, so I kissed her again, softer this time, marking her as mine. As I let my eyes wander over her shapely body, I could see it. The twinkle in her eyes, her hair slightly in disarray… She looked royally fucked, as did I —probably. I knew I'd have to act cool since Eric will probably ask me what took us so long, surely I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut. Besides, it was written all over my face, anyway.

The party with my Enchantress' friends was tomorrow, and I felt a little nervous about it. I admitted that to her, but Bella assured me I'd be fine. I was finally going to meet the famous Alice and Rosalie, which scared me shitless. Then she said it. 'The'll love you, as —I'm sure.' _Was she going to say what I think she was? _She seemed to trip over her words, telling me they should be the ones to be nervous, since to her, I'd be the most important person there. _Her boyfriend_.

I was Isabella Swan's official, non-caveman, lovable-by-her-friends boyfriend.

I loved her, if only I could man up enough to tell her that.


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you for your continued support :D Even though it's been a while, I can see some of you are still very much into this fic :)  
THANKS!**

* * *

**WOP Chapter 19.  
EPOV**

The second I stepped into the confines of my home, I let out a deep sigh. I was fighting a major headache, a result of all the day's stress. I used to love my job, but lately, all we've been doing is dance around like puppets for the greater good of the many L.A. moguls and businesses. Sure, I still got to be creative and turn their ideas into something nice to look at, but the way the big boss was handling things lately made it very hard to enjoy my job. It was all about the money these days.

In an attempt to relax, I went over to my bathroom to take a shower and decompress. Hot water seemed to do wonders to my agitated body, the steam broke apart my headache and I stood underneath the stream, dead-still, enjoying the water droplets on my skin.

I thought about my lunch with Bella, Bella who always found a way to make me feel better. She was better than any kind of Ibuprofen but she was like drugs to me, heavily addicting.

The only thing I did that night was laying on my couch and kill some imaginary people with imaginary weapons. Bella joined the game after I texted her and we went back and forth about our strategies, never once talking about work or family or anything else. It was just like old times, I mused when we had no clue who the other one was. I was glad there was so much more to us right now, that we had found each other and that we were a 'we' now. We called it a night around eleven-thirty since we both had another two days of work to get to. She told me she'd miss me and couldn't wait for Saturday. This was a long-ass week, I thought when I crashed into my bed —alone.

—WOP—

Thursday flashed by in about three seconds, or so it seemed. Eric was sick, which meant that all the stuff he was working on with deadlines for the end of the week, ended up on my desk at well. I worked my ass off, frantically switching between files and different projects to be able to handle the workload. Giving up and taking a break was barely an option, but I gave in to my stomach's callings around three p.m. to go out to grab myself a Subway sandwich. On the trip back to hell, I was already munching it down, praising every possible kind of god for creating carbs. On stressful days, it was all I needed. The boss called us in for the mandatory de-briefing at around five and he actually congratulated me on the efforts I was putting in to make sure no clients were disappointed. I gladly accepted the pat on the back and used it to put in some more overtime. The skyline turned dark in a blink of an eye, and my phone was buzzing in my pocket. I cracked my neck, sore from sitting at this damn desk all day, and smiled when my brother's name illuminated the screen.

"Dude! Help me out, will you?" His voice was panicky and I straightened up in my chair immediately, fearing something was wrong.

"Emmett, calm down! What's going on?"

"I have no idea what I have to wear tomorrow night, or what to talk about with Alice and Bella," he huffed dramatically. I wanted to slap him across the head right now for making me worry about him.

"Oh God, you scared the shit out of me. I thought your house caught on fire or something," I said to him, swiveling my chair back and walking over to the kitchen to stretch my legs.

"Baby brother, this is hella important to me. Aren't you nervous to meet the girls?" The way he said it made me think of some kind of weird cult. He never seemed to lose control like this, it was quite funny.

"Yeah, I am. I know the feeling, man. Just be you, Emmett." I said, rolling my eyes at myself. Why the fuck was I giving my brother advice in socializing? I was the one who needed it the most. He heard my little chuckle and thought I was making fun of him.

"Dude, it's mostly the other way around. Sorry if I don't really know what to say here, okay?" I explained. Emmett's laughter boomed through the speakers of my phone and I held it away from my ear while he continued.

"I know, I'm sorry. But I really, really like Rosalie. I don't want to mess anything up." He said when he calmed down.

"Ditto, Emmett. Bella will love you, for sure, and as for Alice… All I've heard are good things, her husband sounds pretty cool as well if you ask me. If things hit the fan, we'll still have each other. Okay? Just be you and it'll be fine." I said to him.

"Yeah, you're right. It'll probably turn out okay, right?" We said our goodbyes as I opened the fridge and snagged a RedBull from one of my colleagues. I put a post-it note on the rest of the owner's six-pack, telling them I'd replace it ASAP.

Bella texted me a few times, asking if I was alright since she hadn't heard from me. I told her I was working late, and she sent me one of those pouty selfies of hers.

**I hate this as much as you do, baby. Go to bed, I'll text you when I get home. **

She'd replied with a goodnight text, telling me she'd come and get me if I didn't go home within the hour. When I checked the time, I almost had a heart attack, it was after nine and I was still at the office. Bella was right, this was crazy. I decided to leave the RedBull after all, leaving it on my desk for tomorrow and shut off my work station. I yawned loudly and rubbed the tiredness out of my eyes. When I got home, I locked up, stripped off my clothes, and waddled straight into my bed. I'd skip the gym tomorrow, I thought and shot a quick text Emmett's way to let him know I wouldn't be joining him at six in the morning.

Tomorrow I would have to bring my A-game, meeting Alice and Rosalie was a big deal to me, since the two of them were such big parts of Bella's life. I was anxious, yet excited, like a kid preparing for the first day of school.

Collecting my thoughts, I dried off and slipped into a pair of black sweatpants and a light sweater before I booted up my laptop.

I sat down on my couch, the computer on my lap, fingers aching to drabble about my day. Logging into my blog's dashboard, I opened a new blog post. My fingers went flying over the keyboard like they knew what to do without me giving it much thought. One day, I'd show my Enchantress what I wrote, telling her I can't go one day without completing a document without mentioning her. There were no lies, no hidden feelings, or no orchestrated emotions with an agenda. I felt proud that I could express myself using this medium, rather than keeping it cooped up inside. Clicking the publish button, I smiled. I never went back in to double-check any grammar or spelling errors, that only seemed to derive from the originality and deep feels of my words.

My stomach rumbled, and as I watched my phone to check the time, I wasn't surprised. It was already after eight p.m. and I hadn't exactly had the most nutritious day so far. Since today was Friday, a dull aching feeling haunted me, I was agitated that I hadn't asked Bella out for a date. I didn't even ask her about her plans for tonight, I figured since we would see each other tomorrow, I would be able to cope with being away from her. After all, it had only been a few hours since I last saw her.

I fiddled with the phone, opening a new text message, eager to receive a reply.

_**I miss you. It's Friday night, what's my Enchantress up to?**_

**Enchantress: Wishing she'd told her Warrior to come over later. **

I smiled at Bella's reply, imagining her little pouty face with her big, doe eyes.

_**Have you had dinner yet? I want to take my girl out on a date.**_

**Enchantress: Couldn't be bothered. I'd like you to take your girl out. **

_**Meet me at Giorgio's Café 9. **_

I had already gotten off the couch and into my bedroom, stripping the sweats and tugging on a pair of faded black jeans instead. The sweater was alright. After running my hands through my hair in front of the mirror in the hallway, I looked at her reply again, keys already in hand.

**Enchantress: It's a date. Leaving now.**

Internally fist-pumping myself, I locked up and walked to my car at a fast pace. Revving up the Lexus, I drove over to Giorgio's only to groan annoyed when I pulled up. Outside, most tabled seemed to be occupied, cozy fleece blanket draped over the occupants, shielding themselves from the slight chill in the Los Angeles evening. I was such a fool for not making a reservation. It was Friday night, after all, and the place seemed to be buzzing.

I walked up to the entrance, meeting the hostess inside. She was a tiny little thing, with short, auburn hair and a blunt fringe.

"Good evening, sir. Table for one?" She purred at me, looking up from under her dramatically thick lashes. I was about to answer when a warm hand draped along my waist, making me slightly jump.

"Sorry I'm late, honey," Bella beamed at me. Wow, she got here fast, let's hope she didn't break any speed limits.

"We'd like a table for two, actually." She told the hostess, smiling sweetly at the woman whose demeanor suddenly changed from overly-friendly to right-to-the-point.

"We have one table free in about forty minutes. Would you like to wait?" She asked, keeping her eyes on my face, totally ignoring Bella.

"I suppose we could, would you mind, baby?" I asked Bella, whose eyes sparkled.

"I guess there are worse ways to spend forty minutes," she laughed, brushing some hair over her shoulder. Her hair looked a little different, slightly less wavy and her make-up was darker than usual. It made her look like some kind of dark angel. I loved it.

"Good." The hostess spoke. "You can sit outside while you wait. This disk will light up and vibrate whenever your table's ready." She handed me a black device with the number 34 plastered on it. I thanked her and walked Bella over to one of the free tables.

"You got here fast," I said to Bella, pulling out the chair next to me for her. She smiled at me before she went to sit down.

"Yeah, I was actually on my way to Alice's. She wanted to go out for drinks, but I'd rather have a date with my handsome boyfriend." She leaned closer to me, her elbows on the armrest of the chair, and ran a finger along my jawline. I leaned into her touch, humming appreciatively.

"Won't she mind me stealing you away from her, then?" I asked, taking her hand in mine and kissing it softly.

"She wouldn't dare. Jasper got home from work sooner than expected anyway. I bet they have something better to do as well than to go sulk in a bar." Bella explained.

"Were you going to sulk?" I asked, arching a brow her way. Her reaction was everything, so damn cute when her cheeks flooded with a slight blush.

"Well, yeah. I mean…" she started, biting her lip and looking at the top of the table intensely. "It's a Friday night, I was alone, missing my boyfriend after spending a rather _delicious _lunch break with him." The more she said the B-word, the happier it made me feel. I felt giddy and happy as a kid.

"I'm here now, baby. So it's all good, now get over here." I said to her and leaned in for a proper greeting kiss. Her lips moved against me suite innocently and sweet, yet the clearing of a throat interrupted us. I glanced up, seeing one of the servers standing at our table, tablet in hand.

"Would you like to order some drinks to start with?" The guy asked. He looked around twenty years old, with shaggy blond hair and a big smirk on his face.

"I'll have a martini," Bella said, crossing one leg over the other. It was only then that I noticed the _fuckhot _thigh-high boots she was wearing. They were black and looked like velvet with a thick heel. Dragging my eyes away from her legs, I ordered a glass of red wine, begging for the guy to leave us alone so I could check out the rest of Bella's outfit.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked me with furrowed brows.

"You look fucking edible, that's wrong," I joked and let my eyes wander her body. It looked like she was wearing a dress; red and black that reached her about mid-thigh. The dress was form-fitting and left the tiniest gap between the fabric and the start of her boots. I could only see a sliver of her tattoo peeking out.

"Well, if you're that hungry we should've ordered some calamari," Bella laughed, nudging my arm playfully. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Oh, baby, some fried delicacy won't be able to still that kinda hunger," I winked at her and smiled at the waiter who returned with our drinks. I took mine and handed Bella hers, clinking our glasses together.

"To us," I toasted.

"To us," Bella agreed.

As usual, we were chatting each other's ears off, barely sipping our glasses altogether. Bella was cursing at my boss's behavior, calling him all sorts of names since he didn't seem to respect the way a creative process takes place. 'It's like putting cat ears on a dog and assuming it will meow', she called it. I had to laugh at her fabricated saying and asked her about her day. Bella told me about all the preparations needed for Jane's book launch and everything she and Alice had already done.

"I thought you were supposed to edit her book, not plan her trip across the States?" I wondered, savoring the taste of the wine as I took a sip. Bella nodded at me.

"Yeah, I know. But it's part of my job-description apparently. I'm no editor just yet, Edward. Victoria is still keeping an eye on me since I just started the promotion," she explained. "Besides, I really like it the way it is now. It's never a dull day, every day it's something else, which makes me super happy. I just love how everything's coming together, as does Jane." Bella spoke so passionately about her job and about everyone she was working with on this project. The fact that she got to work together with Alice left her positively glowing, no doubt this book-tour would be a great success.

"Listen," Bella started with a serious look on her face. She got interrupted as the disk started twirling all over the table, flashing blue lights, announcing our table was ready. Bella's smile fell off her face as he looked annoyed. I wondered what turned her mood this upside down, but was surprised we'd been sitting here talking for forty minutes already. When I checked my watch, I noticed that it actually had been an hour.

"Nevermind, it can wait. Let's go eat, I'm starving," she said and rose from her seat. I took the opportunity to watch her glorious ass as she walked the three steps up to go inside. Did she have anything hanging in her wardrobe that looked absolutely ridiculous? Impossible, probably. She'd make anything look good.

"Apologies for the slight delay," the server said as he leads us over to a table in the far end corner of the restaurant. "Our previous guest had planned to do a proposal at dessert, so we didn't want to rush the guy," the man explained with a big smile on his face. I looked at Bella but she didn't notice, she didn't seem to particularly care about the news our waiter brought, which didn't surprise me to be fair. The waiter gave us the menu along with reciting tonight's specials and left us to pick our dishes.

"What were you about to say?" I asked Bella, my interests still peaked.

"Oh, ah." She looked uncomfortable and let out a deep sigh. _Uh-oh, what was this?_

"I have to go to New York for a while. For work," she rattled off. My brow furrowed and I bit the inside of my cheek. Why did it seem like a big deal?

"What's a while?" I tried, anxiously tapping my foot underneath the table.

"Three months," Bella replied quietly. I took a deep breath.

_This was okay, right? I could go and visit, maybe I could even take some time off to spend time with her._

"When?"

"It would be on short notice. If I tell Victoria I'll go, I'd have to leave in about a week."

"Oh," I replied, puzzled and unprepared for this. "And what if you don't go?"

"Well, it's supposed to be some kind of internship at the headquarters. Victoria's father would be supervising me and it's really," she sighed and composed herself. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, Edward. I really can't pass this up," she explained.

I could tell she felt bad, I saw it in her eyes.

I told her to go, that she needed this in order to grow in her craft. Bella smiled at me, her eyes telling me she didn't like this one bit either.

"You know what," I leaned in and cradled my face in my hands. "I have a ton of vacation days stacked up. I've been meaning to cash them in, but never really had a reason."

Bella's face lit up.

"You'd do that?" She gasped.

"Anything for you, baby." I winked at her and she looked cuter than ever.

I realized then, it was our actual first —decent date. She deserved this. She deserved flowers and chivalrous dates, me dropping her off at her doorstep with a lingering kiss.

"I'd love that," she said.

"I l—"

The waiter rudely interrupted us, and I almost groaned out of pure frustration. I was about to confess my love for this gorgeous woman in front of me when he asked us what we'd like to order.

Bella went first, smiling widely as she ordered the pasta with salmon and cream cheese. She seemed so excited about the dish, I ordered the same thing.

We had a bottle of wine along with it, and as they came to place the food in front of us, it was already halfway finished.

Dinner was lovely, but somehow I never had the proper window to tell Bella those three little words. It was okay, it would come up again sooner rather than later anyway.

As Bella walked over to use the restroom, I was in awe of her. She was just so beautiful, so sweet, so passionate. I wasn't the only one thinking that either, since the table of guys close by the bar were staring her down as she passed them.

_Mine, dickwads. _

I asked for the check and by the time she got back, I'd handed the waiter my credit card.

I cut her off before she could even say something, she had to laugh at me.

"This is a date, so shut it. Besides, you brought me lunch. This is the least I could do," I winked at her, emphasizing the 'lunch'. Bella rolled her eyes at me.

"As we walked over to the parking lot, we had to part ways. We handed our tickets to the valet, and he went to fetch her car. I took her in my arms, pressing a kiss onto her head.

"I don't want to leave you just yet," she sighed as she leaned into me, her cheek resting against my chest.

"Me neither, but we always have tomorrow. Tomorrow will be great," I mused, rubbing her back.

"Do you want to stay over tonight?" She looked up at me. Bella in the dim outdoor lighting of the restaurant, together with the moonlight did things to me. I was glad she asked because there was nothing I'd rather do than go home with her —or have her go home with me.

"I'd love that," I said and pecked her on the lips. To the outside world, we must've looked like the couple who just went on a first date, completely oblivious to the other people around us. Truth is, I felt like that. Only it wasn't our first date, but the feelings were still there. I was still amazed she wanted to date me, I was over the moon that she was my girlfriend.

Her car arrived and she told me she'd wait for me to drive behind.

I'd only been to her place once before, and the fact that this was the first time I would sleepover at her apartment, made me feel jittery and nervous.

We arrived at her building soon after. She parked in her designated spot and I found an empty parking space somewhere on the block.

"Don't you want to park in my spot? Your car is so much nicer, I wouldn't want anyone to steal it." She said, walking up to me.

"No, it's fine. Don't worry, baby."

She took my hand, entwining our fingers as we made our way up to her apartment.

"Do you want to watch some TV?" She asked me, bending down to unzip her boots and struggled to pull them off. Bella wiggled her toes after she managed to get out of them, and I adored her socks —mint green with cheesy pizza slices all over.

"What? Life is too short to wear boring socks," She laughed and walked over to the couch, pulling me with her after I'd shrugged off my jacket.

We watched some sort of comedy show, and Bella curled up beside me with a blanket, her head against my shoulder, the soft strands of her hair flowing over the bare arm. It felt oddly domestic like we'd been doing this forever and I wondered briefly if life would be this good all the time if we moved in together. I didn't ask her, of course, since it was way too soon for any of that. I knew it was, since this way my first night at her place, and I didn't even have as much as a toothbrush here —or spare clothing for tomorrow.

Somewhere between the stand-up comedian cracking office jokes and telling us all about his crazy mother-in-law, Bella trailed her hand along my arm, holding it tightly —hugging me and I melted away in her arms. I bent down my head to kiss her, and we made out like teenagers after-prom —innocent, yet steamy enough to make me forget about the fact that I didn't tell her 'I love you', yet.

Bella and I must've drifted off to sleep, because I suddenly woke up on her couch, my neck slightly stiff from sitting the wrong way. Bella was out cold, her blanket draped around her legs and her head in my lap.

"Baby, wake up," I said, brushing her hair out of her face. As I checked my watch, I saw it was after three in the morning. The apartment was dark, except for the hue of the television and the lamp next to the couch.

She wobbled over to the bathroom to wash her face and took me to her bedroom. I had seen this room before: the first time I saw her —on the video chat but hadn't seen everything.

The walls were a soft, earthy color and she had her laptop on the floor, along with some papers. The bed looked so inviting, my eyes were still sleepy and I was so tired, I stripped down to my boxers and crawled under the white, cotton sheets.

She walked over to her closet, a room I had yet to discover and rummaged around in some drawers before she appeared back in a white, oversized shirt. I could see her pierced nipples through the fabric, but she looked so drowsy and dreamy, I ignored my boner and cradled her to my side.

We didn't have sex, but it felt so right being there. To have her by my side and hear her breathing get deeper, her warm body next to me her hand on my stomach. I smiled at her, feeling like the luckiest man in the world.

—WOP—

I woke up around eight, L.A. Sunshine filtering through the window of Bella's bedroom. Her hair was everywhere, but she had turned away from me on her side. Somehow, she kicked away the covers and her shirt had ridden up, tempting me with the view of her stomach and the pair of red, silky underwear. I decided to let my Sleeping Beauty be and got up to make us some breakfast.

I pulled on my jeans and T-shirt from the night before, hoping I'd get a chance to go home and change before the party tonight.

Bella had an old-school coffee maker on her kitchen counter, and I had to rummage through some of the cabinets to find the found coffee and a spoon.

In the cutlery drawer was a little, open notebook —dogeared and tattered with a dove grey cover. It was flipped open with a rubber hand to make it stay put. I was intrigued and couldn't tear my eyes away from it.

Bella's handwriting was rushed, yet sophisticated. Then I almost dropped the spoon out of my hand.

'_Every Day Will Always Remain Dazzling'_

She encircled the capital letters of every word.

EDWARD

My heart fluttered and grew five sizes as I ran my fingers along with the words the page.

_Restless, rattled_

_Heart racing_

_Since you_

_Dreaming_

_Dazed _

_Utterly infatuated_

_Since you_

_Rested_

_Composed _

_Tied_

_To you_

Her words definitely made me swoon, and I wondered briefly if this meant that she loved me, too. I wondered if she'd ever show me this page, or if I somehow intruded by reading it. It wasn't intentional, I just happened to find it. If it was a secret or something meant for her eyes only, she surely wouldn't leave it this out in the open, right?

I could imagine her, as she was waiting for her dinner to cook, scribbling and writing down everything that was hidden in her head.

As the sounds of the coffee maker drifted through the apartment, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and ran my blog application.

_When she loves you, do you just know? Is there a cue, a sign, a word that betrays her own heart? _

_When you have an amazing night together, and you end up entwined on a couch with all your clothes on, does it mean you've somehow grown past having sex to express your feelings? Your innermost, most important, and most intimate feelings by just —feeling? _

_We went fast, so fast we didn't see the scenery around us. Too fast, but she assured me she felt the same. That this was more, yet we couldn't slow down. I didn't care. I loved it. I loved her. She made me feel proud, in my car, on my arm, her love was burning through me. I wanted her to be mine once in a lifetime. A touch, a kiss, an embrace, I was scared —still. I was scared it was all a dream. If you love someone as much as I do, it makes sense that you're afraid to lose them, right?_

I wrote some more, making toast in the meantime and throwing together an omelet with ingredients I found in Bella's fridge.

"Well, good morning," Bella's sleepy voice broke the silence in the kitchen as she appeared next to me, looking frumpled and adorable in her shirt and fuzzy socks.

I eyed her legs: long and bare, the shirt barely covering her ass. The things she did to me…

"Morning, baby." She wrapped her arms around my waist, trapping me against the counter as she rested her head against my back.

I could totally get used to this.

I want this, every fucking day.

"Why did you leave me?" She pouted as I turned around.

"You looked so peaceful, I wanted to give you an extra hour of sleep, that's all." I kissed her sweetly, feeling her melt against my body, my hands roaming her soft, naked back underneath the T-shirt until they rested on the swell of her ass.

"You're burning the toast," she giggled and pulled away.

"Let's get you fed, babe." I kissed her one more time and made her sit down. I tried not to notice the fact she still wasn't wearing a bra —but failed since she caught me staring and winked at me.

"Yeah, we have a shower to take —plus, I have some plans for you later," she said suggestively and took a sip of her coffee.

"What kind of plans?" I asked, splitting the omelet onto two plates. Bella licked her lips and smiled widely, not taking her eyes off of the food in front of her.

"I'm taking you shopping so you don't have to leave me anytime soon," she blushed and I nudged her shoulder.

"Getting quite fond of me, are we?"

"Gee, you think?" She rolled her eyes and laughed, her eyes twinkling.

"You need an outfit for tonight, so I can show off my fine-ass man," she took a deep breath and a forkful of the omelet. "Plus, I think my boyfriend should have some stuff here. You know, so you're here even when you aren't."

This was big for Bella, I could tell. And I couldn't believe what she just suggested.

_Was this my cue? Was this my hint? _

_Did she love me? _


	20. Chapter 20

Tonight was the night.

Tonight I was going to introduce Edward to my friends, and I was so fucking nervous it was ridiculous.

We went shopping earlier and it really was something else. I could barely keep my hands to myself every time Edward stepped into a dressing room. He seemed as excited as I was, running around with a giddy smile and holding my hand each change he got.

After shopping, we acquired quite a few things including his outfit for tonight. Edward confessed he actually hated clothes shopping, which was no surprise since about every man I know does.

"Where do you want me to put all this?" Edward motioned to the three shopping bags in his hand and I smiled, loving the fact he'd been wearing his glasses all day.

I stood there for a beat, thinking when it dawned on me. I smiled widely at Edward and dragged him to my bedroom, through the door of my closet. His eyes grew twice the size as he looked at the racks of clothing and the very many pairs of shoes I owned.

"So this is your fashion empire?" He joked, his fingers gliding along the shelves and hangers.

"I wouldn't say empire per se, but I have to admit I'm quite proud of myself for putting this entire closet together all by myself," I grinned and noticed Edward rolling his eyes.

"Hey! It was hard, you know. I'm not that tall and my ceilings obviously are." Edward laughed and swung an arm around my shoulders, kissing my forehead.

"Let's get these drawers emptied and your stuff in it," I felt as if my heart was floating. I felt lightheaded from the emotions and from the fact that I wasn't running away from them. In the past, I would have already bolted. My head would set the disappointment in motion, would make sure that I wasn't opening my heart to anyone and make me run far and fast.

I watched Edward just stand there, awkwardly waiting for me to tell him where he could put his stuff.

"Go ahead, pick one," I said, leaning against the frame of the door.

His green eyes were on me when he turned around and grabbed the handle of the chest of drawers on my left.

"This one okay?" He asked before pulling it open, the contents almost overflowing. I got amused when he finally noticed what was in there: my bras.

"Damn, baby. You really seem to be having a lot of those, haven't you?" His grin turned devilish when his fingers curled around red lace, spinning the bra around like he was about to throw it in my face.

I burst out laughing and helped him clear the drawer. I threw the lingerie on the ground, for now, I'd figure out where to put the delicates when he was gone.

A few hours later, Edward was now a permanent piece of my apartment. He had some clothes, a shelf in my bathroom, and his fingerprints all over. Something like this was reason enough to celebrate, so before we went to meet my friends we ordered some pizza, had sex on the couch, showered and managed to run half an hour late. I didn't mind in the slightest, and when Edward stopped the car in the parking lot just outside of the bar my friends waited for us, he got really quiet again.

I looked at him, the fluorescent lighting of the street lights illuminating the side of his face, his magnificent face, and the look in his eyes makes my heart stutter.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?" His smile was back and he took my hand in his, kissing it softly.

"Please don't be nervous, they'll love you," I said it a little faster than I should have, but even though I wanted to tell him those three obnoxiously hard to say words, I couldn't get them out of my mouth.

"Well, I hope they at least like me since, you know, I l—" Edward got interrupted by my phone ringing loudly and I jumped. Did this stupid piece of technology just ruin the moment he was going to say he loved me?

I groaned at Alice's picture on my screen and answered.

"Yeah, I know we're late. But we just parked the car, be there in a second." I rattled into the phone with one hand already on the door handle.

"Come, before they actually start hating you." I joked, but there was no hint of a smile on his face anymore. Did I agitate him?

I grabbed Edward's hand before we walked around the corner, toward the entrance, and pulled him close to me.

"Sorry, that was a bad joke. I know," I sighed and buried my face in his neck. Edward had this habit of smelling absolutely amazing, a smell I wish I could bottle because it was beyond using a bomb-ass cologne.

"Oh baby, don't worry about it. I'm just a little on edge, that's all." He explained, his thumb running soothing circles on the back of my hand. I didn't want to confess to him that I was quite nervous as well.

"Remember, I'll keep you no matter what they think of you, handsome." I kissed his lips gently and felt the smile that I loved on him so much. Victory.

"Fashionably late, are we?" There she was, standing in her tall platform boots and a yellow corduroy dress that only one person could pull off.

"Hey Alice, sorry we're late. Kinda lost track of time and I couldn't find the right shoes," I blamed it on myself since I wanted them to think positive and only positive thoughts about my boyfriend.

Alice smiled broadly and came up to give me a hug since she seemed to be waiting for drinks by the bar.

"Wow, sweetheart. You've outdone yourself, what a hunk!" She whispered in my ear before she let go. Alice sauntered over to Edward, who looked at my friend with a curious smile and those twinkles in his green eyes. It was safe to say that Edward looked absolutely adorable right now.

"You must be the infamous Edward Cullen, I'm Alice." Instead of reaching for the hand, Edward held out for her, she went in for the hug: because Alice Whitlock simply did not shake hands unless you were having a bad case of the flu.

Edward looked surprised as Alice embraced him but luckily went along with it.

"Okay, Alice. Hands off, you've got your own man, remember?" I joked and draped myself along Edwards's arm again, enjoying his warmth and feeling him so close to me.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course, I remember, how could I not? But Jasper's running late, he had a last-minute change of clients, you know how he can't say no to people who need him." She explained.

Alice leads us over to the table where Rose was already canoodling with Edward's brother: Emmett. It was safe to say that I was impressed by the way she looked: so happy. I hadn't seen Rosalie smile like that in ages and it made me feel so good.

"Hey, lovebirds." Alice placed their drinks in front of them as they reluctantly broke their little embrace with a soft kiss.

"Edward, come here, bro!" Emmett pushed out the chair to his right for Edward to sit in. It was a little weird seeing the resemblance in their facial features even though the two brothers seemed total opposites.

After we settled down at the table, I realized it was the moment I'd been waiting for. I cleared my throat after I took a sip of my beer and smiled at the man who made my heart beat faster.

"So, obviously I'm not alone and I know you've heard about each other from me, but this is my boyfriend —officially: Edward Cullen and he is the best. Edward, from little to not so little: this is Alice and Rosalie: my two best friends in this entire world. I would trust these women with my life." Edward smiled as he went in to give my leading ladies a handshake, which they both declined -opting for a hug instead. I rolled my eyes as Alice hugged Edward for the second time, her smile all giddy as she side-eyed me and winked.

"Well, Edward, welcome to the crazy side. I hope you're up for this," Rosalie laughed and lifted her glass into the air.

"Babe, you're the one who's stuck with the crazy, trust me. You've got two Cullens on speed dial now, don't forget." Emmett's laughter boomed all over the place. I couldn't believe I was here right now: happy, with a boyfriend who I loved dearly and the best friends in the world.

"So, are you taking Edward to the wedding?" Alice asked me, her voice low and discreet as she turned her body toward me.

"Yeah, I guess I am. Even though my mom doesn't want him there." I realized I wouldn't bother anymore about everything my mom stood for. If she wants a family event, she should be able to set aside our differences for at least one night, right?

"Good for you, Bells. She's not worth worrying about. Remember, if she causes a scene, you're out of there. Run and never look back. If she only wants her perfect, little family with Bree, that's her problem. It's not your fault she can't handle having a drop-dead gorgeous, amazing daughter like you." Alice managed to get a smile on my face, as per usual.

Somewhat later, between the drinks and the laughter, I needed to use the restroom. Rosalie accompanied me, of course, and filled me in on all things Emmett Cullen. She gushed about his work-ethic and about his bistro, along with the fact that he was a complete animal in the sack and that she was grateful for my advice on the matter.

As we approached the table again, I could hear a glimpse of Alice and Edward's conversation. It was so peculiar how Alice seemed to be able to read people perfectly, and as I heard her take on the role of Momma Bear, I smiled. I was really lucky to have her as a friend.

"You better take care of my Bella, she seems quite taken with you."

"Let me go get the next round of drinks, same thing for everyone?" I asked, startling Alice mid-conversation.

As I stood by the bar, a friendly, warm voice enveloped me. I looked up and smiled at Jasper, happy that he made it to our little get-together.

"Well, hi there, stranger." I greeted him before he held out his arms for a hug.

"I heard from a little bird that we have an important guest in our midst tonight?" Jasper's blue eyes sparkled as he shot me a lopsided grin. He and Alice were a perfect match, especially in terms of drama. Even though Alice had a flair for the true dramatics, Jasper was always able to tone her down, asking about the facts and the true events. His job as a psychiatrist gave him several advantages in exploring problems and solving them. I couldn't even imagine Jasper having any other job since it truly was his calling.

Jasper helped carry the drinks to the rest of our company, and Alice didn't even look up from the conversation she was having with Rose, Emmett, and Edward -which was strange. I wondered what they were talking about now, it seemed important.

"Please, Emm. Why did you have to go there? You promised," Edward sounded agitated with his brother, but Emmett looked up and spotted us before he answered, opting for an elbow nudge instead. I frowned, itching to know what this was about.

Alice looked at my funny, but her face turned into a big smile once she saw her husband standing next to me.

"Jazzy!" She exclaimed happily as Jasper leaned down to give her a sweet kiss.

"I'm so glad I don't have to drive anymore." I giggled, struggling to keep up with Edward and his long strides to the Lexus.

"Yeah, me too. Guess someone doesn't know her limits, does she?" He teased.

I blew a raspberry and he kissed me, deeply -as if his life depended on it. Somewhere along the night, the atmosphere shifted and he got a little more clingy. I liked it, sure, but I wanted to know if it had anything to do with the talk he had with my friends and his brother.

"Stay over, please?" I pouted as we drove up to my place.

Edward smiled and ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay, one more night." He kissed my forehead and walked over to my side of the car, opening the door for me and taking my hand in his.

"Why, thank you, sir." I smiled widely, glad to have him close to me for one more night. He'd have to go home tomorrow since he had to get up early again on Monday morning.

The second we entered my apartment, he was all over me. I was a little tipsy, but I didn't care, throwing my heart and soul into our make-out session instead. Maybe I got a little too wrapped up in it, but somehow it blurted out of my mouth out of nowhere, while Edward was kissing the sensitive flesh of my neck.

"I love you."

He stopped kissing me instantly, grabbing my face in between his hands and looking me straight in the eye. I felt sober in a heartbeat, my chest almost exploding with feelings and anxiety.

"I love you," he said.

Just like that, we were a whirlwind of hands and grabbing, stripping out of our clothes as we stumbled and kissed our way to my bedroom. Edward walked me to the bed, grabbing my waist and throwing me down on it. His gaze was cloudy with lust, his mouth practically never leaving my skin.

Edward parted my legs with his knee and I hitched them up, locking them around his waist. I could feel him, his excitement where I wanted it the most. As he leaned up on one elbow, he teased my slit with the tip of his erection, making me squirm beneath him.

"Please," I moaned, my clit throbbing and my head in the clouds, aching for a release.

He grinned at me, clearly teasing and loving the effect it had on me.

"Please, what?" He asked me innocently, his teeth nipping at my nipple, his tongue playing with my piercing.

I wiggled underneath him, telling him what I wanted.

"You want this?" Edward ran the tip of his cock along my entrance, making me absolutely crazy.

I nodded profusely and we both moaned when he entered me.

"Oh fuck, you feel so good." He groaned into my neck, moving in and out of me hard, but slowly.

He picked up the pace, just how I liked it and I couldn't stop myself from grabbing a fistful of his hair, tugging on it.

The air around us grew thick and whilst my eyes were closed, focussed on the exquisite things Edward could do to my body, I knew what he looked like. He was biting his lip, or his mouth was slightly open. Never had a man's noises turned me on this much, but with Edward, everything was different.

I could feel the tension build with each thrust, and although this position was never my favorite, I was soaring and the sparks were building rapidly.

"Oh baby," I moaned, tugging on Edward's hair so his lips would meet mine. We kissed and licked and nipped at each other's skin until the pleasure was almost unbearable.

"I'm so close," he grunted. I hummed, letting him know it wouldn't take much for me to topple over the edge now. Edward took my cue, placing one of my hands and guiding it to where we were joined. I reveled in the fact he liked it so much to see me touch myself. His sounds were borderline animalistic as he kept up the pace, the veins in his forearms more pronounced from his efforts, shaking almost. My orgasm crept up on me, causing me to be very, _very_ vocal when I came. My walls fluttered around Edward and I could sense him letting go, allowing himself to finish as well. As he came, he bit my neck and I felt the sheen of sweat on his upper lip mixed with his scruff.

Edward rolled off me, we were both panting like we'd run a marathon. It felt a little different like we were having a deeper connection now. I loved it, as much as I loved him.

Monday afternoon, somewhere around three p.m., I met Alice at the coffee truck that was just outside our building. I hadn't seen her all day, which was a tad odd. She looked at me and smiled, but it wasn't entirely genuine. She was hiding something from me, I could tell.

"Alice?" I linked my arm with hers and lead her over to one of the benches, so we could enjoy our afternoon break in the sunlight.

She looked at me and furrowed her brow before she took a sip of her matcha latte.

"Alice, what's wrong?" I pressed. She just sighed and looked at me funny, but her shoes quickly got more of her attention than I did.

"What did I do?" I worried.

"Oh honey, nothing. I just," she sighed again. "I just promised I wouldn't talk to you about it, but it feels so wrong to keep stuff from you. It's so not like me." I was glad she thought so because she was right. Alice was never good at keeping secrets, not from me and Rosalie.

"What's it about?" I asked.

"Promise you won't tell it was me, okay?" I nodded. "So, Saturday while you were getting drinks we got to talking about our hobbies, the gym, just casual conversation. Then Emmett accidentally told us about something that Edward did, but it seemed to have been a secret. So me, Rose and Emmett know now, but we had to promise Edward to never tell you and well, that's not just something I take lightly. I don't keep any secrets from my Bella, especially not since your boyfriend is involved. It's just not okay, and I won't stand for it. If he didn't want it getting out, he shouldn't have done it, or he shouldn't have told his brother for God's sake." Alice was rambling, but all I could focus on was that it was about Edward and something he'd done. Was he cheating on me? Was it something bad? I felt anxious and held onto my black coffee for dear life.

"Alice, focus, please. What's going on?" I pleaded, she took a deep breath in and out.

"So, Emmett began talking about Rose and how she was everything he never knew he wanted. Obviously, Edward joined in the conversation, telling him how happy you made him and how he couldn't seem to find the right words to even express his feelings. Emmett laughed and flapped it out: 'Well, you surely don't seem to have any problems writing about it.' Rose and I looked at each other because we had no clue what Emmett was talking about. Edward immediately seemed very angry and annoyed with Emm, and he even raised his voice a little, calling him names for not being able to keep a fucking secret. After a lot of badgering, Emmett told Rose that Edward had a blog and he was writing all about you. Edward ran off to the bathroom, and Emmett continued: telling us that he felt a little awkward knowing what went on between your and Edwards sheets before he even got the chance to get to know you," my eyes widened and I was sure my jaw dropped.

"What?" I felt mortified. Completely and utterly mortified and stupid as hell.

"Bella, it's nothing." Alice tried to shush me, but it was no use.

"Nothing? You're telling me that Edward Cullen is writing about me? About our sex-life? About us? I thought we had something special, something real. And he's just throwing it out there? To think that he was mad at Jake for talking about me behind my back to his buddies at the gym, and then he's doing this?!" I was absolutely furious, rage building up more with every second that passed.

"I haven't read it, because even though I'm a curious bitch, I respect your privacy," Alice confessed, and I believed her.

"Rose has though, and it's fairly explicit, so she loved it. She said it had real erotic-fiction potential." She said, her voice soft and low.

"Oh, so my life is a novel now? What the actual fuck?!" I ran off, upstairs, and grabbed my bag. I was dead-set on putting in some overtime hours, so I could leave right away and eat my body weight in chocolate chip cookies but ran into Victoria instead.

"Bella, glad I found you here. Can we talk about New York?" She said, her hair a halo of copper curls dancing around her shoulders.

My rage was still there and I had not cooled off in the least, running away from the very deliberate Alice Whitlock. My pulse was racing and I craved to get out.

"Yeah, sure. About that, Victoria: I'm going." I plastered on a fake smile when Victoria's enthusiasm hit me. She was so genuinely happy that I couldn't do anything but pretend to at least be joyful.

"Oh, you have no idea how big this is going to be for your career," she said. "But, there is one thing, though, the date moved up. They are expecting you to start next Monday. You have an apartment ready, two blocks from the HQ and it's all furnished and ready to go. I could book you a flight on Wednesday, so you have some time to settle in."

Victoria's words were like music to my ears. It was my chance to run from the mistake of opening my heart.

"Perfect, I can't wait."


	21. Chapter 21

Okay, there's a bit of drama coming up but keep in mind : I write HEA only!

Xoxo

* * *

Chapter 21.

After my conversation with Victoria, I sprinted out of the building, into my car and I went home. Part of me wanted to call Edward and ask him what the hell his problem was, but another part of me wanted to forget him as soon as humanly possible. If I knew one thing, it was that I'd been too easy, that letting him in was a giant mistake. Some little voice inside my head regretted it, the entire thing, but I couldn't. I just couldn't.

There was no way I could forget all about Edward Cullen, especially since every room in my home now had an Edward stash. I hadn't realized it before, but his stuff was everywhere: from his favorite mug to the socks in my closet, to the new clothes we bought for him together and the extra toothbrush in my bathroom cabinet.

I sighed deeply and halted, my back against the open door of my bedroom. He was here as well, like his scent stayed and lingered on my sheets. I could feel his energy around me and the worst part of all was that I didn't want it to fade. I didn't want to be a maniac and set my sheets on fire, but I also didn't want to lay down in them and smell him around me all night. My heart sank as I thought about Bree's wedding, since it was getting painfully closer now. I couldn't help but think about the last conversation I'd had with my mother and her words rang in my ears. Maybe she was right. Maybe the relationship things just weren't for me and perhaps I should just go alone anyway. Because nothing will ever work out. People always say that there is no one that knows you better than your own mother, so I guess if she's right, I shouldn't even bother putting myself out there for anything more than one night of fun. Apparently, that was all that I could handle.

New York might be the right thing for me. It could help me get over him faster, and in the meantime Alice or Rose could pack up his things and deliver them to Edward. Yes, that might be a good thing.

I'd be gone for a few months, no visits, no vacation. I honestly thought that it would be my fix. A quick fix to get over infuriating heartache.

My phone rang and broke my thoughts. It was him. Of course, Edward probably was still oblivious to the conversation I had with Alice —since what she told me was supposed to be a secret. I reached for my back pocket to retrieve the phone and kept staring at the picture that lid up the screen as Edward was calling me. He looked so good, he always looked so good. I took the picture when he just woke up: his hair everywhere, the scruff on his jaw and the painfully adorable crooked little smile. It was everything I loved on him. I simply loved him. Him in general, and I knew that now. The inner monologue wasn't any easier either, with one side of me wanting to pick up and hear his voice again and maybe listen to what he had to say. But with everything that happened with Jake in the past, I needed to be cautious. I always had a habit of letting Jake talk himself out of trouble, of making me see his side of things with never even being asked how I felt. Ever. This wasn't going to happen now, I couldn't let it happen.

I opened a new text message, tempted by the sweet words he'd written to me before all of this happened. I couldn't just erase them, not yet, so I started typing.

_I'm leaving for New York. I know what you did, and I hate every part of it. I don't ever want to hear from you again. Bye._

I decided against sending it and just let it sit there, the cursor on the screen making me feel extremely uncomfortable. It could wait. I could send it on the plane, that way he couldn't stop me.

I called Rose later, while I was sitting on the now clean bedsheets. I hadn't told her what happened, because I was sure she'd go tell Emmett, who would tell Edward. And I wasn't there for it. I didn't want any meddling, not now. Instead, I just told her that I was accepting the New York position and that I would leave sooner than expected. She promised to come check in on my apartment regularly, and she would find a box with directions of where Edward's stuff was, so she could take it to him.

When she hung up on me, my notification bar was full again. Message after message, asking me if I'm okay and why he hadn't heard from me. I couldn't fathom leaving him in the dark, so I deleted the message I'd composed earlier and started typing again.

_I have a splitting headache, going to rest now and turn phone off._

After that text, there was radio silence and for once, I didn't hate it. I wanted to be left alone and I liked the peace and quiet.

That night, I started packing. I decided I would just take the necessities with me and buy anything else that was needed. After all, I couldn't just pack up my entire closet. I cautiously ignored all the clothing Edward ever saw me in and opted for stuff I had loved in the past, but hardly wore anymore. New York was a new city, one I'd never been to, and it would kind of create a new Bella.

I fell asleep with the television on and woke up when the sun was rising and filtered through my sheer curtains in the living room. I slept like a baby, even after everything and it worried me. Was it even love, if it was this easy?

My heart was trembling when I read the good morning, beautiful text from Edward and then I found out: it wasn't easy. It was the hardest thing I'd done in a while. I answered and wished him a good day, but kept it fairly superficial. I responded, because I didn't want any questions. Part of me didn't want to break the spell, the one created by Edward Cullen. I wanted to read whatever it was that he'd written about me, but I was also very scared to do so. Scared of knowing what he really thought of me and what this relationship was about.

Alice came over to drive me to the airport. Things were a tad different between us, but I could tell she regretted informing me about the whole blog fiasco. I had no reason to be mad at one of my best friends, after all she didn't do anything wrong. Alice hadn't written the blog and she had actually told me everything. Rose, on the other hand pretended like nothing was wrong. She talked about her stuff, like usual, and I told her some lies she never questioned. I was a bit angry with her, so I didn't call her to accompany me to the airport.

"Bella, I hope you can things about things a little while you're in New York. You know, just let it all play out in your head and see how you feel about him. If you miss him, it's a sign, and if I see how the two of you look at each other I honestly think you're making a mistake by leaving." Alice sighed. I stopped dead in my tracks, one hand clutching the handle of my luggage tightly.

"You haven't told him, have you?" I barked. I seriously underestimated this break-up, badly. I hardly slept at night, instead I was tossing and turning and reading his texts and email over and over again. I had to delete them, but I didn't want to. Not yet. I just hoped Alice hadn't told Edward that I was leaving today, because he had no idea. I played off the lack of communication and seeing each other to a new and tightly scheduled deadline. I lied. I lied and he believed it, no questions asked. That made me feel bad, yes, but I didn't want him to come over here like some sort of knight in shining armour and change my mind.

"No, of course not. I promised!" Alice held up her bag and looked at me, her blue eyes sad and full of doubts. "I swear on Versace that I didn't tell anyone anything, even though I think it's wrong of you to do this. Bella, you didn't even read it!"

I sighed deeply. "Alice, If you thought it was bad enough that you felt the need to tell me about it, then that tells me more than you can minimize. I know that you care for him and that you love me but,"

"You love him! You fucking love the guy, why is it so hard for you to get that? Stop running, Bella. Please, honey." Alice kept pleading and eventually even a tear made its way down her face.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I love you, but I can't talk about this right now. I'll let you know when I'm all settled in." I turned around, hoping I wouldn't burst out into tears right now either, because Alice's sadness always had that effect on me. She usually was all about happiness and positivity, but whenever Alice felt something, she felt it hard. She made me feel it, too, which was breaking the little pieces of my heart even more right now.

New York, it was a place I'd only ever seen in movies and shows. The city that buzzed with activity, the city that never seemed to sleep and the city with its ever present ambulances and fire trucks. New York now was my new home, for the next few months and maybe if I liked it, a little while longer.

I loved the fact that no one knew who I was, that there was no familiar face in sight and that I had a clean slate here. There was no Rosalie, no Jacob and no Edward Cullen. The fact that I had arrived in my new city, was the time to honor the deal I made with myself. I needed to send that text, the one that would break the rest of my soul and the one that would cut my relationship with Edward and make it bleed dry.

My fingers were shaky as my cab drove me over to the apartment that Victoria'd set up for me. I kept reading and reading, replacing certain words and deleting it altogether. There was no going back, I thought and closed my eyes. Of course it was raining today, and my LA outfit wasn't ready for that, but I didn't care. As I stood on the sidewalk, mere inches from my new front door, I did it. I hit send.

_I'm sorry, but I can't do this. I can't be lied to and I can't cope with being played. You did a good job, concealing your true self. You know how you hate reality TV? Well, you kinda really messed up, writing about me —about us without telling me. Even the Big Brother people knew they were being surveilled. I hope you get something out of it, at least you put in all the effort and people seem to be raving about it. I'm in New York now, far away. Trying to forget the man I opened my heart for. It was a mistake, please leave me alone and let me heal myself._


	22. Chapter 22

**I'm well aware some of you really like this fic, and I do too. I just lost a lot of files bc my old laptop crashed with everything on there. This is me, making it up to you. I haven't forgotten about my first loves in the fic writing world :)  
**Keep in mind, this is not beta'd so, brace yourselves.

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WOP 22

It was hard, but the days still passed. I missed Edward terribly, but I was still breathing, still going on. Time was ticking away, even though my heart felt like it was miles away.

February in New York was cold as fuck, and the fact that my phone kept buzzing now and then only made me grow colder. Of course, he texted me, he'd been doing that ever since I hit send on my first night here. My new beginning in a new city was tainted, and everybody knew. I'd met most of the neighbors here whom I shared this building with, and truthfully, most of them turned into good friends by now but I still dreaded today. Today was Valentine's Day, a day I'd been dreading for a few weeks now. Ever since Christmas decorations went down, the glowing hearts and pink details started showing up. To say I rolled my eyes at every shop window, would be generous. I despised every part of it: hearing the plans of my co-workers, the company 'Happy Heart Day' card ended up in the nearest bin and the music on the radio made my stomach turn. If it hadn't been for Riley, my new friend in the big city, I would have spent the evening alone in bed with self-pity and the biggest pint of ice cream I could find. Instead, Riley managed to make me accept the invitation for an evening of drinks with all the singles he knew. Riley was my neighbor, and he promised me a night without romance and shenanigans since he too, just got dumped by who he thought was the man of his dreams.

"Bella, are you almost done?" He chanted from his place on my couch. We'd eaten greasy pizza and shared a bottle of sparkling wine before I went to get ready. Riley had already dismissed my first two outfit choices, since they were all work and no fun-LA-girl, and had sent me off to my closet once more.

"Zip me, will you?" I stared at my reflection when I spotted something I hadn't seen in a while: my makeup was impeccable, my tattoo was on display and I was wearing a dress the old Bella Swan would be envious of. It was tight and stretchy, black with mesh sleeves and cleavage. I looked… good, more like myself.

"Dear God, bless the heterosexual men tonight." Riley exaggerated, leaning against the doorpost as he took in my outfit. "Now, that's what I'm talking about if I tell you we're going to a party, sis. Don't go around hiding that body in the pantsuits you always seem to wear." He shook his head, which made me laugh. It had been a while since somebody had complimented me, and it did make me feel a little better to dress up.

"I'm not looking for any heterosexuals tonight, Riley," I said.

"You're going for the lesbians then? Because if you are, girl, I can hook you up in a heartbeat." I snickered at Riley's commentary.

"No, no. No girls for me. No one for me," I smiled meekly, avoiding his gaze.

"Have you heard from him?" Riley knew better than to mention _his _name to me. I'd told him everything, and even though he was positive that I was dramatizing the entire thing, he still had my back. I still refused to read the blog, even though Alice and Rosalie kept bugging me about it. I was just too stubborn for my own good.

"I don't know. I can't look at his messages. I can't, Riley. Not today."

"Pull some heels one, baby. Let's go!" He kissed my shoulder before he zipped up my dress, giving me hell about the fact that my panty lines were showing. He even made me change my underwear and finally gave his approval when he couldn't spot a single bump on my ass, using the flashlight of his phone.

We arrived at the bar a little late, courtesy of Riley Biers and his relentless styling, so all of his friends were already there. I had a feeling he wasn't being so truthful with his promise on not setting me up tonight. Certain gentlemen came up to me to talk and make friends, but when I asked them where they knew Riley from, they all stammered and I scared them away.

I was on my way to the ladies' room when I bumped into someone, dunking my glass on a pair of expensive-looking, shiny shoes.

"Oh fuck, I'm so sorry." I looked up to stare into deep blues, the blues I'd seen before at least a dozen times.

"Isabella Swan, what a surprise to see you here." His voice was ever-so-smooth, and he looked as sharp as he always did.

"Alistair, hi." I wondered if I should shake his hand, or do nothing at all since I'd never seen Alistair out of the office environment. His shaggy hair was a contrast to his clean-cut shirt and matching suit slacks he was wearing.

"How's the book going?" Alistair was a client of the publishing house and I'd seen him around a few times, enough to know he was working on publishing his third crime novel.

"Great actually, but let's not discuss work on this festive evening."

"Festive?" I wondered. He was one of those sappy Valentines' Day lovers I planned on avoiding tonight.

"It has to be festive for you to look this good, honestly." His eyes traveled down the length of my body, making me feel slightly self-conscious. I felt myself grow warm under his gaze and cleared my throat.

"This? This is my funeral dress," I joked, putting one hand on my hip for good measure.

"Funeral huh? Well, I never hoped to attend one more than I do right now," he joked.

"Are you here by yourself?" I asked.

"My friend just ditched me for a rather good-looking blonde about ten minutes ago. Can't say I blame him, but yeah. I'm here all by my lonesome now. You?"

"Oh, poor soul. Come sit with us, there's always room for one more." I smiled. The alcohol had made its way to my bloodstream, making me feel less of a basketcase and more like old Bella. Alistair flashed me a grin and agreed. I introduced him to Riley who gave me the thumbs up, which I tried to ignore.

The conversations overflooded the air around me, and I felt the need to just go and get a bit of fresh air. I checked my watch instead of my phone because I was in no state to see one of _his_ messages flash around the screen. I noticed hours had gone by, and we were still talking. Alistair sipped from his drink and I rested a palm on his shoulder, telling him I'd go outside real quick for a smoke and some air. He insisted on joining me.

"So, your friend sure has a ton of energy, hasn't he?" I laughed, the smoke around me unfurling as Alistair didn't take his eyes off me.

"He knows how to entertain, that's for sure, yeah." I smiled, but it fell quickly as I recognized the look in Alistair's eyes. He'd stepped close to me and held out his jacket for me since it was freezing outside.

"I'm fine, thanks," I said, although the goosebumps all over my body were telling another story.

"You know, we're in the clear now," Alistair said, taking a drag from my cigarette and letting it dangle between his full lips as he pulled out his phone.

"Oh, it's late!" I giggled.

"We survived another merciless Valentine's Day." He winked at me and it made me smile. I wanted to see _his _smile right now. To stand here with him. Somewhere between the nicotine and alcohol and the cold, I got crazy and out of my mind. I inched closer to Alistair and thanked him for the nice, tolerable evening before his thumb stroked across my cheekbone. It all happened so fast, his arm was so warm around my waist and the feeling of a body next to me felt incredible. I felt less holey, less alone, less like I missed him. But when Alistair's head dipped down and his lips met mine, I realized I couldn't have been more wrong. I was tearing apart, lonely and there was a hole in my heart only Edward Cullen could fix.

With tears in my eyes, I pulled away and apologized to Alistair before running of. I ran, on my heels, in my dress without a coat or a goodbye to Riley and the others.

Tears streamed down my face, and when I finally found a cab I settled down. My driver was a woman, about my mother's age and I couldn't help but break apart in that backseat. I somehow didn't have to tell her anything, she just understood.

"It creeps on in, sweetheart." She told me, her voice sweet and nurturing.

"Is sadness here forever? Is it everlasting?" I asked her, meeting her dark brown eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Oh, honey. I think it is, somehow there's always sadness." She didn't speak for the rest of the ride.

There would be sadness. For the rest of my days, because I made a terrible mistake.


	23. Chapter 23

As March bled into April, I'd found the one thing to keep my mind off Los Angeles and keep my mind off _him. _Work had never been as important to me as it was in this phase of my life. I wanted to secure my position, maybe stay in New York if they wanted me to since my bosses were all pleased with my work. I'd gotten into the habit of taking work home, eating Chinese, and those leftovers for days on end until I couldn't smell it anymore. Manuscript after manuscript piled up on my desk, ready for their final revision and read-through by my boss.

To say that I was still embarrassed for what happened in February between an established writer at the publishing house and me was overdoing it since Alistair had been nothing but pleasant since that event. We actually talked it out like grown people, and there was no bad blood. He apologized numerous times and even asked me out, but I said no. One time in the break room, he fetched me a coffee, and we talked about life. He wondered why I'd said no, time after time, and I explained. I figured I was too far. I was gone over my head when it came to Edward Cullen, and I'd broken all my rules anyway. I might as well confide in some people and work on my trust issues while doing so. I was surprised when Alistair understood, pulling out his own horror book of love for my confession. We even had drinks together, where I introduced him to Kate from HR. They hit it off right away and are a couple now. Both Kate and Alistair thanked me countless times, and I couldn't help but feel that tinge of jealousy every time they talk about one another.

I knew I wasn't doing so well when I was craving spaghetti and started crying when I opened the container. Our first meal together in _his_ apartment. I couldn't bear the dish's sight and brought it over to Riley's, where he traded his Caesar salad with it. I cried on his couch, and he listened like he always did. Riley asked me about the wedding, and I begged him to be my plus-one. Unfortunately for my sad, little soul, the man already secured that date in his calendar since it was his mother's birthday.

Riley tucked me into his bed and took my phone as I asked him to. He took care of the messages because I knew they were there, and he showed me funny videos of cats until I fell asleep. I cuddled up to him in my sleep, happy that I wasn't lying in my bed all by myself and eternally grateful for his friendship.

Something was definitely off when I called Alice every day over three weeks. She worried and almost stepped onto a plane for me. I told her not to, of course. But she kept checking up on me, telling me about everything back home except for the things that hurt me too much. I told Alice about what happened with Alistair at the party, and I could tell she was almost crying. Jasper must've been there with her because she didn't put me on speaker, but I noticed the words she used weren't hers at all. I felt lonely again, staying up too late working, and after that, I fell into the same routine. I stalked and stalked everyone I missed since I was homesick. I started on Alice's profile because she hosted a costume party not too long ago, and she was telling me about the fantastic outfits everyone wore that night.

From Alice, I clicked on out to Jasper's page and back to Alice's, where I clicked on Rose's comment that led me to her profile. She'd changed her bio with Emmett's name and a lock right next to it. I clicked on further the pictures of the two of them. I found their picture from Alice's party, and of course, that was where I saw _him. _ I couldn't help myself, and I kept scrolling. I kept tabs on all his socials, searching for something I didn't even know. I was afraid he'd moved on by now since the messages had stopped recently. I was terrified of seeing his smile because it would belong to someone else now, someone who deserved it. I didn't find anyone. I didn't save any photos, and I didn't double-tap anything because I was too scared to let time creep up on me. I was worried that I'd ruined it and that I would never be granted another chance. By now, I'd even erased the link to his blog, and he never posted it on any social media. I would never find it since he wrote it under a pseudonym. I wish I had taken the chance to read it that first time, to let him explain and to let it wash over me. After all, it couldn't have been worse than it was now. My heart broke as the wedding got closer and _he _wouldn't come. He wouldn't visit, and I wouldn't have to get to the airport to pick him up. I could never show him my favorite coffee place, or go for a walk in Central Park. New York was like my limbo, my own personal cycle of hell. There was no one from my old life, the life I'd cherished so much. There was no girl's night, and there was no sneaking a smoke with Rosalie.

I was homesick. I hated the cold and the rain here, and I longed for the sunny evening walks in Los Angeles. The apartment here was too generic, with barely any personal belongings. My closet was too small, and the bathroom had a weird smell whenever you flushed the toilet. Winter had been too cold here, and the heater inside made me feel claustrophobic. I longed for the sheets of my bed back home and the couch because he'd sat on the sofa, and he'd been in that bed. I even missed driving. The only driving I'd done in New York was in the back of a cab, which caused me to be tipsy way more than I should have been.

Through everything, there were my rocks. Alice and Riley kept me going and the occasional email from Victoria lifted my spirits. I'd lost touch with myself, with old Bella, and I had no idea how to find her back.

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I swear we WILL end on a happy note, as always 3


	24. Chapter 24

**Here's our boy. You missed him?**

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**EPOV.**

I fell apart when she left. It felt as though I was the biggest hypocrite in the world. At first, I hated my brother for telling Alice what I'd done, but I only realized it was my own stupid fault as time passed. Sunshine lost its warmth for me, and food had lost all taste. I didn't care for anything else but to go to work and game. I didn't once go to the gym with Emmett, despite having forgiven him, but he still asked me every day.

People at work started to notice my slacking, and after my one bitter outburst to Eric when he asked me about her, no one mentioned her again. I was a total ass to my family. I ignored my brother's happiness with Rosalie because I couldn't stand to look at them together. I envied what they had; I was jealous as shit.

There was some sort of routine to my misery, though. I read the text, the text that I pulled up daily, and I had almost collected a binder full of unsent messages. I did hit send on a few of them daily and multiple times a day sometimes. The other part of my routine was the one I'd least expected. It was Alice, who called and messaged me every day. She showed up on my doorstep with fresh coffee and pancakes and a heart of gold. Alice was my rock, the one person who was on both of our sides. She understood why she had been so mad, but Alice was also furious that she would not give me a chance to explain it all. We talked a lot but evaded her name. I knew Alice was in touch with her, so that took away some of my concerns. Still, part of me wanted to book myself a ticket and look for her. I desired to take her in my arms and plummet to my knees. I craved to earn her forgiveness, and I wanted to never let her go.

One night, an unknown number sent me a message, telling me that they'd found my number in her phone and wanted me to know that she missed me. I didn't know who it was, and I didn't reply. I couldn't. I didn't even know if it was some kind of joke or sincere. She was partying all night at one of SoHo's fancy bars with a handsome broker by her side for all I knew. I might watch too much television, but for a woman as gloriously beautiful as her, that unmistakably was a possibility. I checked her socials without leaving a trace, but there was barely anything on there. The day she moved away was the day she stopped posting, and it killed me. Was she too busy? Was she too concerned with the fact that I'd leaked private information that I'd use this also? It was never my intention, and I wouldn't ever post a word again. Not without her consent. The files had piled up over the months that she'd gone away. Poem after poem ended up in my folders, stacked away in the draft zone of my blog and on my phone. Alice had read them all. Alice had read everything, and she also had them on her computer. She wanted them because she thought my words were beautiful, and I should never toss them away. Alice knew that this would make for a beautiful, heartbreakingly astonishing gift someday. I decided not to argue. I just hoped she was right.

One Friday night, a knock on my door startled me, and I was surprised when I saw my brother standing there in the dim porch lighting.

"Look, man, I know I promised you space and all… But I just can't see my brother in pain like this. I can't let you do this solo, Edward." I'd never seen Emmett so emotional before. He usually hides it away pretty well behind his wall of hard muscle and sarcasm, but it was clear as day that he struggled.

"What's wrong?" I wondered, stepping away so he could enter the living room.

"Edward, knock it off with the self-pity man. I know you know I said it, and I know you forgave me, and I know you blame yourself. But fuck this dude… You gotta step up and get brave, or everything will end badly." He sighed, walking over to my fridge and getting out two bottles of beer.

"Drink up, and accept that you're not alone in this. You have half an hour before Rosalie comes dragging you out herself." My eyes grew at his statement. What would possibly be this important that Emmett broke my suffer in solitude rule?

"Drag me out where?" I eyed him suspiciously.

"It's not about you, brother. Not everything is about you, but you better come out and celebrate with us." Emmett declared. There was no way I could argue with that, so I drank my beer and listened to my brother.

Emmett almost pushed me in the shower, pulled a shirt and some jeans out of my closet, and told me to hurry up.

Celebrate?

By the time I locked up the house, there was Rosalie's car by the sidewalk, engine purring as she smiled at me from the driver's seat.

"I thought you'd grown a beard by now, you know. Reach full hermit status?" Rosalie joked. I actually laughed, which had been a while.

"And hide that chin? Are you crazy, Rosie?" Emmett chimed in, humor covering his face.

"Okay, okay. You're right. I stayed inside for far too long, but I'm guessing you guys changed that for me, so thanks."

Apparently, we drove off to a bar since that was where we stopped a few minutes later. I recognized the pub -since I'd been there. I was there the night it all went to shits. I was there with her.

"Don't get any ideas about running off, Edward. It's a beautiful night." Emmett said as the three of us got out of the car. Emmett took Rose's hand as we walked in, and something sharp tugged at my heartstrings. It was the jealousy again, but I shouldn't be feeling this. I should've been happy that my brother and Rosalie found each other.

We walked into the crowded space when I noticed her. It was Alice and Jasper, sitting at a table, deep in conversation. Jasper looked up when he saw us and nudged his wife in the shoulder. Alice flashed me a smile that could light up an entire village, and it warmed my heart. I'd indeed found a remarkable friend in that one, that's for sure. She got up and gave me a hug, as she always did. It was like a dose of warmth and happiness every time she did so, and I loved it. I missed every bit of affection, so I took hers with open arms.

"I'm so glad you came out tonight. We really wanted you here, Edward." Alice smiled at me, and I went to sit down next to Jasper at the round table. The bartender fixed us with drinks, and Emmett started talking.

"So, now that we are all here, it's finally time." He started. I heard Alice squeak out of enthusiasm before she spoke. "Oh God, they're finally going to spill the beans. This better be good, since you let us wait all this time."

"Emmett proposed to me," Rosalie said. I'm sure the shock could have been written on my face.

"What? Oh, Rose! Show me the ring!" Alice yelled, reaching over to grasp Rosalie's hand.

"I said 'no,' Alice," Rosalie remarked when there was no ring to be seen.

"What's going on here?" I asked, completely confused.

"It was hardly a real proposal since your asshat of a brother asked me to marry him when he was balls-deep inside of me." Jasper choked on his beer, and I slapped his back, chuckling. Only Emmett Cullen would do something like this.

"We decided, even though the timing was rather … off, that it was time for us to move in together. So we're taking the condo that's above the bistro, renovate it and live together before there are any other crass and disgusting proposals." Rosalie proclaimed, smiling softly at my brother.

That was great news. I grinned, truly happy for them.

"Jesus Christ, Emmett. I swear you will have to get your ducks in a row before you propose to Rosalie, dude." Jasper laughed.

"I know, but at least she knows how much I fucking love her," Emmett said.

"How much you love fucking her, you mean?" I interrupted. They all stared at me and looked surprised.

"What, it's a joke!"

"Oh, fuck you, you son of a bitch. Get over here," Emmett said and wrapped his arms around me. I know he was thrilled that I made a joke. That meant a lot to him since I hadn't done that in months.

"In other news," Alice took a deep breath in and looked miles away before clearing her throat and looking up. "Edward Anthony Cullen, we have a wedding to crash."

I swear my heart stopped for a minute.

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**Who saw Alice's plan coming? Anyone? **


End file.
